Director/Tfh Guru Allan Arkush discusses his favorite year in film, 1975, with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Rules of the Game (1939)
Le Boucher (1970)
Last Year At Marienbad (1961)
Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982)
Topaz (1969)
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
Hollywood Boulevard (1976) – Jon Davison’s trailer commentary
The Innocents (1961) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary
The Earrings of Madame De… (1953)
Rope (1948) – Darren Bousman’s trailer commentary
Make Way For Tomorrow (1937)
The Awful Truth (1937) – Charlie Largent’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Duck Soup (1933) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Going My Way (1944)
Nashville (1975) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary, Dan Perri’s trailer commentary
M*A*S*H (1970)
Shampoo (1975) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Bonnie And Clyde (1967) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
The Nada Gang (1975)
Get Crazy (1983) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Night Moves (1975) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Dog Day Afternoon (1975) – Katt Shea’s trailer...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Rules of the Game (1939)
Le Boucher (1970)
Last Year At Marienbad (1961)
Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982)
Topaz (1969)
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
Hollywood Boulevard (1976) – Jon Davison’s trailer commentary
The Innocents (1961) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary
The Earrings of Madame De… (1953)
Rope (1948) – Darren Bousman’s trailer commentary
Make Way For Tomorrow (1937)
The Awful Truth (1937) – Charlie Largent’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Duck Soup (1933) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Going My Way (1944)
Nashville (1975) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary, Dan Perri’s trailer commentary
M*A*S*H (1970)
Shampoo (1975) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Bonnie And Clyde (1967) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
The Nada Gang (1975)
Get Crazy (1983) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Night Moves (1975) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Dog Day Afternoon (1975) – Katt Shea’s trailer...
- 9/20/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Antonio Margheriti made several space epics about ‘errant planets’ posing dangers to Earth; this one gets all the attention via star casting. Claude Rains’ bombastic but brilliant scientist advises space command to blow up the planetoid, and then chooses attack day to go see its interior for himself. Toy rockets, overripe dialogue and thunderous acting from Rains ensue, leading to a finale in an ‘alien brain cave’ made of colored plastic tubes. This critical ‘triumph of the imagination’ indeed makes something entertaining out of very, very little. The presentation includes a half-hour docu hosted by Tim Lucas, a graduate class listed as ‘Italo Space Intro 101.’
Battle of the Worlds
Blu-ray
The Film Detective
1962 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 84 min. / Street Date August 9, 2022 / Il pianeta degli uomini spenti / Available from The Film Detective
Starring: Claude Rains, Bill Carter, Umberto Orsini, Maya Brent, Jacqueline Derval, Renzo Palmer, Carlo d’Angelo, Carol Danell, Jim Dolen, Joe Pollini,...
Battle of the Worlds
Blu-ray
The Film Detective
1962 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 84 min. / Street Date August 9, 2022 / Il pianeta degli uomini spenti / Available from The Film Detective
Starring: Claude Rains, Bill Carter, Umberto Orsini, Maya Brent, Jacqueline Derval, Renzo Palmer, Carlo d’Angelo, Carol Danell, Jim Dolen, Joe Pollini,...
- 7/26/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
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By Hank Reineke
I confess to having difficulty understanding Corinth’s curious repackaging of three monochrome 1950’s science-fiction films. Pulling together this triad of films – all previously issued as single disc releases from the label’s Wade Williams Collection - seems to make sense on one level. We’ll discuss later on. But for the record this DVD of Drive-In Retro Classics: Science Fiction Triple Feature brings together such disparate Silver Age favorites as Kurt Neumann’s Rocketship X-m (1950), Nathan H. Juran’s The Brain from Planet Arous (1958) and Robert Clarke’s The Hideous Sun Demon (1959).
Though he didn’t have anything to do with the production of any of the films listed above, Wade Williams has served as curator of the analog and digital legacy of many ‘50s sci-fi and horror titles. Though Williams would aspire as a filmmaker himself, the titles...
By Hank Reineke
I confess to having difficulty understanding Corinth’s curious repackaging of three monochrome 1950’s science-fiction films. Pulling together this triad of films – all previously issued as single disc releases from the label’s Wade Williams Collection - seems to make sense on one level. We’ll discuss later on. But for the record this DVD of Drive-In Retro Classics: Science Fiction Triple Feature brings together such disparate Silver Age favorites as Kurt Neumann’s Rocketship X-m (1950), Nathan H. Juran’s The Brain from Planet Arous (1958) and Robert Clarke’s The Hideous Sun Demon (1959).
Though he didn’t have anything to do with the production of any of the films listed above, Wade Williams has served as curator of the analog and digital legacy of many ‘50s sci-fi and horror titles. Though Williams would aspire as a filmmaker himself, the titles...
- 5/10/2022
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Florian Zeller’s film directing debut, The Father, adapted from his Tony-nominated and Molière winning play Le Père, takes the inside perspective of Anthony (Anthony Hopkins)’s slow slide into dementia, as his daughter (Olivia Colman) attempts to care for him. We find ourselves in the hellish hall of mirrors of Anthony’s declining mind as Zeller repeatedly wrongfoots us—is the daughter playing tricks? How can this be a different apartment? How much time has passed?—and we experience his shattering loss of cognition again and again. Here Zeller explains why he always wanted to cast Hopkins, and how the medium of film added to the story.
Deadline: The protagonist’s name in the film is Anthony and you had Anthony Hopkins in mind from early on. Is that a coincidence?
Florian Zeller: It’s true that when I started to dream about writing the script, the face...
Deadline: The protagonist’s name in the film is Anthony and you had Anthony Hopkins in mind from early on. Is that a coincidence?
Florian Zeller: It’s true that when I started to dream about writing the script, the face...
- 2/12/2021
- by Antonia Blyth
- Deadline Film + TV
There’s a lovely, original story happening at the edges of “Over the Moon” — literally, the first 20 minutes and the last five — but you can feel the studio notes taking over this musical-comedy-adventure from director Glen Keane, a Disney vet and the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind the short “Dear Basketball.”
The opening sequences are lovely, with our heroine Fei Fei (voiced by Cathy Ang) enraptured as a young girl by her mother’s stories of moon goddess Chang’e and her sadness over her earthbound true love Houyi. Fei Fei’s beloved mom, whose bakery makes the town’s most delicious mooncakes, passes away after falling ill.
A few years later, Fei Fei’s dad (John Cho) plans to marry again, which makes Fei Fei upset. The scientifically-minded teen decides to travel to the moon so she can prove that Chang’e is real, as a way to remind Fei Fei...
The opening sequences are lovely, with our heroine Fei Fei (voiced by Cathy Ang) enraptured as a young girl by her mother’s stories of moon goddess Chang’e and her sadness over her earthbound true love Houyi. Fei Fei’s beloved mom, whose bakery makes the town’s most delicious mooncakes, passes away after falling ill.
A few years later, Fei Fei’s dad (John Cho) plans to marry again, which makes Fei Fei upset. The scientifically-minded teen decides to travel to the moon so she can prove that Chang’e is real, as a way to remind Fei Fei...
- 10/9/2020
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
World conditions make this year’s Grammy voter choices in the visual-media categories somewhat harder to predict, in part because so many of us have been staying home watching television. So while some score nominees are likely to come from late-2019 releases, including Hildur Guðnadóttir’s Oscar-winning “Joker,” John Williams’ “StarWars: The Rise of Skywalker,” Thomas Newman’s “1917,” Randy Newman’s “Marriage Story” and Alexandre Desplat’s “Little Women”), final choices could easily include streaming content which, while eligible, has rarely made the nominations list.
Terence Blanchard’s score for Netflix’s “Da 5 Bloods” is a strong candidate, as are recent Emmy winners like Labrinth’s “Euphoria,” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ “Watchmen,” both on HBO, and Ludwig Göransson’s “The Mandalorian” on Disney Plus.
A bit harder to predict: the choices for compilation soundtrack, the category that includes song scores. High on the list is the album for Disney’s “Frozen 2,...
Terence Blanchard’s score for Netflix’s “Da 5 Bloods” is a strong candidate, as are recent Emmy winners like Labrinth’s “Euphoria,” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ “Watchmen,” both on HBO, and Ludwig Göransson’s “The Mandalorian” on Disney Plus.
A bit harder to predict: the choices for compilation soundtrack, the category that includes song scores. High on the list is the album for Disney’s “Frozen 2,...
- 10/7/2020
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
With the delayed release of “No Time to Die,” the 25th film of the James Bond franchise, an avalanche of changes and shifts have occurred within the industry. In the realm of awards prognostication, the Billie Eilish song was considered one of the favorites in the best original song category.
With the 18-year-old music sensation out of the running now, possible contenders in the category are still emerging, with no real frontrunner as yet. Netflix’s animated feature “Over the Moon” offers a formidable contender with “Rocket to the Moon.” Sung by newcomer Cathy Ang, and written by Christopher Curtis, Marjorie Duffield and Helen Park, the song could net the streamer its third nomination in this category. Netflix scored with “Mighty River” from 2017’s “Mudbound” and “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” from 2018’s “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” (David Rawlings and Gillian Welch). Blige was the first...
With the 18-year-old music sensation out of the running now, possible contenders in the category are still emerging, with no real frontrunner as yet. Netflix’s animated feature “Over the Moon” offers a formidable contender with “Rocket to the Moon.” Sung by newcomer Cathy Ang, and written by Christopher Curtis, Marjorie Duffield and Helen Park, the song could net the streamer its third nomination in this category. Netflix scored with “Mighty River” from 2017’s “Mudbound” and “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” from 2018’s “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” (David Rawlings and Gillian Welch). Blige was the first...
- 10/5/2020
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Witness one Robert Lippert, an American independent producer who flourished in multiple eras of Hollywood. We discuss his adaptation to changes in the movie biz in conjunction with a double bill DVD of two typical Lippert shows from the very early fifties, one produced in Hollywood and another in England. Robert Lippert is the proof that ‘Life Finds a Way’ in the movies as well, a sentiment reinterpreted as ‘staying in the game.’
I’ll Get You + Fingerprints Don’t Lie
Forgotten Noir Volume 6
DVD
Vci / Kit Parker
1951, 1952 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / Street Date April 24 2007, 2020
Starring: George Raft, Sally Gray, Clifford Evans; Richard Travis, Sheila Ryan, Sid Melton.
I’ve wanted to review the two ‘programmers’ in this double-bill disc for some time, not realizing that I was really more interested in a producer associated with them. The name Robert L. Lippert pops up continually in the history of some of my favorite genre pictures.
I’ll Get You + Fingerprints Don’t Lie
Forgotten Noir Volume 6
DVD
Vci / Kit Parker
1951, 1952 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / Street Date April 24 2007, 2020
Starring: George Raft, Sally Gray, Clifford Evans; Richard Travis, Sheila Ryan, Sid Melton.
I’ve wanted to review the two ‘programmers’ in this double-bill disc for some time, not realizing that I was really more interested in a producer associated with them. The name Robert L. Lippert pops up continually in the history of some of my favorite genre pictures.
- 9/15/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Over the Moon, a new animated musical from Netflix, has not one but two different videos for you today, so consider yourself blessed. A making-of featurette goes behind-the-scenes of the production, while a music video features the first single from the flick, “Rocket to the Moon.” Watch both videos below ahead of the film’s October debut. […]
The post ‘Over the Moon’ Music Video and Featurette Highlight Netflix’s New Animated Musical appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Over the Moon’ Music Video and Featurette Highlight Netflix’s New Animated Musical appeared first on /Film.
- 9/7/2020
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
Gee whiz, sci-fi sure was simple in the early ‘50s, wasn’t it? Slap a little Red Scare subtext here, a damsel in distress there, scientists, the military, and of course aliens rounding out the films that beamed from every drive-in on a Saturday night. One of the earliest (and best) of the bunch is Invaders from Mars (1953), which sets itself apart by employing a unique viewpoint and having spectacular and surreal production design. Don’t write this off as a cheap time waster, you whippersnappers.
Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox near the end of April, this independent production received some favorable notices and made a swift return on its $290,000 budget, for good reason – seen through a child’s eyes, it captures that imagination and runs with it for 78 minutes, shoddy getups and all. Invaders from Mars is told with the fervor of an excited youth playing catch up with an exploding imagination.
Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox near the end of April, this independent production received some favorable notices and made a swift return on its $290,000 budget, for good reason – seen through a child’s eyes, it captures that imagination and runs with it for 78 minutes, shoddy getups and all. Invaders from Mars is told with the fervor of an excited youth playing catch up with an exploding imagination.
- 10/12/2019
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Intrepid soldiers and scientists battle a bloodsucking alien invader at the top of the world! The Warner Archive Collection releases Howard Hawks’ incomparable Science Fiction thriller, a long-desired favorite. Long handicapped by missing scenes, this Rko classic is intact again, complete with its nerve-rattling bombastic Dimitri Tiomkin music score.
The Thing from Another World
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1951 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 87 min. / Street Date December 18, 2018 / 21.99
Starring: Margaret Sheridan, Kenneth Tobey, Robert Cornthwaite, Douglas Spencer, James R. Young, Dewey Martin, Robert Nichols, William Self, Eduard Franz, James Arness, Paul Frees, George Fenneman, John Dierkes.
Cinematography: Russell Harlan
Art Direction: Albert S. D’Agostino, John J. Hughes
Film Editor: Roland Gross
Original Music: Dimitri Tiomkin
Written by Charles Lederer from a short story by John W. Campbell Jr.
Produced by Howard Hawks
Directed by Christian Nyby
Still one of the all-time favorites of 1950s science fiction filmmaking, Howard Hawks’ The Thing from Another World...
The Thing from Another World
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1951 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 87 min. / Street Date December 18, 2018 / 21.99
Starring: Margaret Sheridan, Kenneth Tobey, Robert Cornthwaite, Douglas Spencer, James R. Young, Dewey Martin, Robert Nichols, William Self, Eduard Franz, James Arness, Paul Frees, George Fenneman, John Dierkes.
Cinematography: Russell Harlan
Art Direction: Albert S. D’Agostino, John J. Hughes
Film Editor: Roland Gross
Original Music: Dimitri Tiomkin
Written by Charles Lederer from a short story by John W. Campbell Jr.
Produced by Howard Hawks
Directed by Christian Nyby
Still one of the all-time favorites of 1950s science fiction filmmaking, Howard Hawks’ The Thing from Another World...
- 12/6/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
A Savant Article
CineSavant shows off an arcane observation: in 1957, scenes from a glossy CinemaScope Fox production directed by Raoul Walsh, were almost immediately re-purposed, with grandiose special effects added, for a landmark science fiction fantasy. It’s an opportunity to admire the resourceful artistry of Jack Rabin, Louis DeWitt and Irving Block, special effects professionals that did fine work but were seldom if ever considered for industry awards.
Back in the 1970s I picked up from Larry Edmunds’ Bookstore a copy of a one-shot special effects fan magazine that I think had been put together by the effects master/researcher Robert Skotak. The photo magazine lauded the efforts of a Hollywood effects partnership consisting of Jack Rabin, Irving Block and Louis DeWitt. Their names appeared on dozens of 1950s films, for their creative optical work — whatever enhancements might be needed, from simple title sequences to matte shots and even stop-motion animation when required.
CineSavant shows off an arcane observation: in 1957, scenes from a glossy CinemaScope Fox production directed by Raoul Walsh, were almost immediately re-purposed, with grandiose special effects added, for a landmark science fiction fantasy. It’s an opportunity to admire the resourceful artistry of Jack Rabin, Louis DeWitt and Irving Block, special effects professionals that did fine work but were seldom if ever considered for industry awards.
Back in the 1970s I picked up from Larry Edmunds’ Bookstore a copy of a one-shot special effects fan magazine that I think had been put together by the effects master/researcher Robert Skotak. The photo magazine lauded the efforts of a Hollywood effects partnership consisting of Jack Rabin, Irving Block and Louis DeWitt. Their names appeared on dozens of 1950s films, for their creative optical work — whatever enhancements might be needed, from simple title sequences to matte shots and even stop-motion animation when required.
- 7/28/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“Charming” is not often a word associated with horror films; it’s counterintuitive to what the genre usually stands for—you know, terror and tension, followed by release and a sense of ease, then repeat—but yet here we are with a romantic tale about a boy, a girl, a teleportation device, and the insect that comes between them. Welcome to the world of The Fly (1958), where the hosts are welcoming, the police polite, and the monster bug-eyed.
Released by Twentieth Century Fox in July, The Fly pulled in $7 million against its $300,000 budget, enticing audiences with a tale often told at the time—sold as another Atomic Age Monster Mash, The Fly instead uses a much smaller (and human) canvas to convey a message of obsession and the love that ultimately ends it. Having said that, you also get a man with a fly head and some neat-o transportation sequences,...
Released by Twentieth Century Fox in July, The Fly pulled in $7 million against its $300,000 budget, enticing audiences with a tale often told at the time—sold as another Atomic Age Monster Mash, The Fly instead uses a much smaller (and human) canvas to convey a message of obsession and the love that ultimately ends it. Having said that, you also get a man with a fly head and some neat-o transportation sequences,...
- 10/7/2017
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Many of MGM’s productions were scraping bottom in 1958, yet the studio found one more acceptable western vehicle for their last big star still on contract. Only-slightly corrupt marshal Robert Taylor edges toward a showdown with the thoroughly corrupt Richard Widmark in an economy item given impressive locations and the sound direction of John Sturges.
The Law and Jake Wade
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1958 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 86 min. / Street Date September 12, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Robert Taylor, Richard Widmark, Patricia Owens, Robert Middleton, Henry Silva, DeForest Kelley, Henry Silva, Burt Douglas, Eddie Firestone.
Cinematography: Robert Surtees
Film Editor: Ferris Webster
Written by William Bowers from a novel by Marvin H. Albert
Produced by William B. Hawks
Directed by John Sturges
As the 1950s wore down, MGM was finding it more difficult to properly use its last remaining big-ticket stars on the steady payroll, Cyd Charisse and Robert Taylor. Cyd...
The Law and Jake Wade
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1958 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 86 min. / Street Date September 12, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Robert Taylor, Richard Widmark, Patricia Owens, Robert Middleton, Henry Silva, DeForest Kelley, Henry Silva, Burt Douglas, Eddie Firestone.
Cinematography: Robert Surtees
Film Editor: Ferris Webster
Written by William Bowers from a novel by Marvin H. Albert
Produced by William B. Hawks
Directed by John Sturges
As the 1950s wore down, MGM was finding it more difficult to properly use its last remaining big-ticket stars on the steady payroll, Cyd Charisse and Robert Taylor. Cyd...
- 9/2/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“Am I decent?” They said that Ginger Rogers gave Fred Astaire sex appeal, but the teaming of Astaire and Rita Hayworth is something else. Columbia’s 1941 release is a weak service comedy until the dancing starts, at which point it becomes one of the better musicals of the year – and the breakout vehicle for Ms. Hayworth.
You’ll Never Get Rich
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1941 / B&W/ 1:37 flat full frame / 89 min. / Street Date April 18, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95
Starring: Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Robert Benchley, John Hubbard,
Osa Massen, Frieda Inescort, Guinn ‘Big Boy’ Williams, Cliff Nazarro.
Cinematography: Philip Tannura
Art Direction: Lionel Banks
Film Editor: Otto Meyer
Original Music: Cole Porter
Written by Michael Fessier, Ernest Pagano
Produced by Samuel Bischoff
Produced and Directed by Sidney Lanfield
Freed from his Rko contract in 1939, Fred Astaire never signed another long-term deal. He instead jumped from studio to...
You’ll Never Get Rich
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1941 / B&W/ 1:37 flat full frame / 89 min. / Street Date April 18, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95
Starring: Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Robert Benchley, John Hubbard,
Osa Massen, Frieda Inescort, Guinn ‘Big Boy’ Williams, Cliff Nazarro.
Cinematography: Philip Tannura
Art Direction: Lionel Banks
Film Editor: Otto Meyer
Original Music: Cole Porter
Written by Michael Fessier, Ernest Pagano
Produced by Samuel Bischoff
Produced and Directed by Sidney Lanfield
Freed from his Rko contract in 1939, Fred Astaire never signed another long-term deal. He instead jumped from studio to...
- 4/29/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Multiplexes across the country are going to be invaded this weekend by Arrival, a moving sci-fi drama starring Amy Adams as a linguist who helps the U.S. government communicate with mysterious visitors from another world. The film represents Hollywood's latest attempt to speculate on what might happen if we're ever actually contacted by extraterrestrials. Will they be green-skinned warlords with creepy antennae? Grayish waifs who come bearing gifts? Sexy supermodels with nefarious agendas? Or something else altogether?
Since the 1950s, movies have sent so many aliens to Earth that...
Since the 1950s, movies have sent so many aliens to Earth that...
- 11/10/2016
- Rollingstone.com
This proto- juvenile delinquent epic launched celebrated WW2 warrior Audie Murphy on the road to Hollywood fame, fortune and more troubled times. Audie commits every crime short of shooting dogs and nuns, but those wacky liberal social workers still give him the benefit of the doubt. Director Kurt Neumann back our hero with expert acting support from Lloyd Nolan, Jane Wyatt and James Gleason. Bad Boy DVD-r The Warner Archive Collection 1949 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 86 min. / Street Date January 5, 2016 / available through the WBshop / 21.99 Starring Audie Murphy, Lloyd Nolan, Jane Wyatt, James Gleason, Stanley Clements, Martha Vickers, Rhys Williams, Selena Royle, Jimmy Lydon, Dickie Moore, Tommy Cook, William F. Leicester, Stephen Chase, Walter Sande, Ray Teal, Charles Trowbridge. Cinematography Karl Struss Art Direction Theobold Holsopple Production Design Gordon Wiles Film Editor William Austin Original Music Paul Sawtell Written by Robert Hardy Andrews, Karl Kamb, Paul Short Produced by Paul Short...
- 3/5/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Ahead of Interstellar's launch, here's a selection of 10 underappreciated sci-fi films about space travel...
Christopher Nolan's Interstellar wears many of its influences proudly. The director has openly said that his film is inspired by such acclaimed pieces of cinema as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Philip Kaufman's The Right Stuff, as well as the human warmth of Steven Spielberg's 80s output. Interstellar depicts a near future where life on Earth teeters on the brink of extinction. Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a former test pilot turned farmer, joins a last-ditch mission to enter a wormhole in space and find a new home for humanity; he realises that the only way to save his family is to leave it behind.
It's the latest film to tap into our fascination with the depths of space - a topic that has been explored many times since the earliest days of cinema.
Christopher Nolan's Interstellar wears many of its influences proudly. The director has openly said that his film is inspired by such acclaimed pieces of cinema as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Philip Kaufman's The Right Stuff, as well as the human warmth of Steven Spielberg's 80s output. Interstellar depicts a near future where life on Earth teeters on the brink of extinction. Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a former test pilot turned farmer, joins a last-ditch mission to enter a wormhole in space and find a new home for humanity; he realises that the only way to save his family is to leave it behind.
It's the latest film to tap into our fascination with the depths of space - a topic that has been explored many times since the earliest days of cinema.
- 11/3/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
There are no movies more fun to watch than 1950s science fiction. The first of these films went from the sublime to the ridiculous, from Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) to Cat Women of the Moon (1953). But they all had something for fans who couldn’t get enough of the exciting and popular new genre. The results were mixed but when they were good, they were very good.
Science fiction films of the 1950s have a well-deserved reputation for being cheesy
The first wave of films appealed mostly to the young who were growing up in the Golden Age of Science Fiction. The genre went from the books fans were reading to movies easily. The special effects were new and exciting for viewers who accepted that space travel was possible, there was life on other planets and there were fantastic things on Earth yet to be discovered.
Science fiction films...
Science fiction films of the 1950s have a well-deserved reputation for being cheesy
The first wave of films appealed mostly to the young who were growing up in the Golden Age of Science Fiction. The genre went from the books fans were reading to movies easily. The special effects were new and exciting for viewers who accepted that space travel was possible, there was life on other planets and there were fantastic things on Earth yet to be discovered.
Science fiction films...
- 6/11/2014
- by Gregory Small
- CinemaNerdz
I really enjoy watching 1950s sci-fi and horror films. When I was growing up I went through a phase where I watched every movie from that era that I could get my hands on. There are a ton of classic movies from that time such as War of the Worlds, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Them!, and more. There are still so many other sci-fi movies out there that have been made that I know a lot of people haven't seen or even heard of. To remedy that I came up with a list of ten flicks that I've seen over the years that a lot of you probably haven't heard of. These are all films worth watching if you can find the time. They are best viewed with groups of fiends because even though they are good, they still have plenty of laughable moments.
- 5/20/2014
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Kevin Willmott is a professor of film at the University of Kansas and a filmmaker known for work focusing on black issues including writing and directing Ninth Street, C.S.A.: The Confederate States Of America and The Only Good Indian. His newest film, in which he costars, is called Destination Planet Negro.
Destination Planet Negro made its premiere last winter, and is continuing to travel the film festival circuit, including a screening this Saturday as part of the St. Louis International Film Festival (Sliff). Wamg contributing writer Sam Moffitt describes Destination Planet Negro as “that rare comedy that actually gets funnier as it goes along. The rocket ship and especially the hardware inside are spot on, beautifully done. Obviously done on a low budget, this is great stuff” (look for Sam’s complete review here at Wamg on Friday)
Destination Planet Negro deftly mimics low-budget 1950s sci-fi to make some comically...
Destination Planet Negro made its premiere last winter, and is continuing to travel the film festival circuit, including a screening this Saturday as part of the St. Louis International Film Festival (Sliff). Wamg contributing writer Sam Moffitt describes Destination Planet Negro as “that rare comedy that actually gets funnier as it goes along. The rocket ship and especially the hardware inside are spot on, beautifully done. Obviously done on a low budget, this is great stuff” (look for Sam’s complete review here at Wamg on Friday)
Destination Planet Negro deftly mimics low-budget 1950s sci-fi to make some comically...
- 11/14/2013
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Most movies that break out of the pack, with their own special blend of technique and vision, can be said to defy categories. But Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity, which drew massive audiences this weekend and, I suspect, spoke to them (as it did to me) in a powerful and transporting way, may be a unique case. Offhand, I can’t name a science fiction movie that mesmerizes you because it feels at once so novel and so retro, so thrillingly forward-thinking and so exquisitely cast from the visual poetry of a long-ago era. Just think about it:
Gravity is set in outer space,...
Gravity is set in outer space,...
- 10/7/2013
- by Owen Gleiberman
- EW - Inside Movies
Hey gang! You've got to watch this incredible retro 1950's trailer for The Avengers! This thing was put together in credibly well, and I couldn't help but have a smile on my face the whole time I was watching it. I would love to see this movie if it actually existed! Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think!
The trailer above was created by YouTube user whoiseyevan and here's what he had to say about it.
What if... the Avengers movie was created years before the actual comic book?
Lost in the annals of time and space, comes this magnificent motion picture of epic proportions. Taking a page from such horror classics as "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman" and "House of Frankenstein," Timely Atlas Studios (the precursor to Marvel Studios), created the first superhero movie team-up. "The Avengers" featured an awesome array of characters such as Captain America,...
The trailer above was created by YouTube user whoiseyevan and here's what he had to say about it.
What if... the Avengers movie was created years before the actual comic book?
Lost in the annals of time and space, comes this magnificent motion picture of epic proportions. Taking a page from such horror classics as "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman" and "House of Frankenstein," Timely Atlas Studios (the precursor to Marvel Studios), created the first superhero movie team-up. "The Avengers" featured an awesome array of characters such as Captain America,...
- 8/10/2010
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
Undertones: Volume 6 The classic science fiction film emerged during a period of great societal paranoia in the Us in the early 1950s. The post-WW2 environment saw an increased concern with nuclear armament and a fear of the infiltration of communism on the American way of life. Essentially, the sci-fi film was Hollywood’s great metaphor for these threats; its power largely dependent on playing on the fears of the cinema-goer. Many of the films were low-budget affairs pumped out by the studios; a steady stream of high-camp and cheap thrills in order to provide what one can only assume was constant necking-fodder for teens at drive-ins. Amongst these ‘B’ pictures, many of which have been long lost in time to the more technologically-savvy audiences of recent years but considered charming nostalgia to retro film junkies, are films that stand out for their innovation and social commentary and are considered classics by modern cinophiles.
- 10/1/2009
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
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