Category: article

  • Dark Cinema: Ladies in Exotic Exile

    Sex, crime, drugs, alcohol, and a young woman who is vulnerable to it all, put them in an isolated location, add a little heat, and morals melt away. At least that seemed to be the way studios reasoned in the pre-Code era. Never before or since have so many glamorous ladies found themselves in such exotic screen peril than in the steamy, lurid dramas made during this period. These movies tend to be bleak, but they are also packed with fascinating characters and provide a great showcase for th...

    Read more

  • Apes, Earthquakes, and Jello Horses: Special Effects Landmarks in Sound Films

    Five years separate the premieres of The Jazz Singer (1927), with its brief but irresistible sequences of Al Jolson's singing, from Love Me Tonight (1932), a miracle of score synchronization, fluid camera, and optical effects. In the early sound period, the major studios hired more technical advisers and, for certain effects-filled films, began to accept higher ends in production costs and schedules.At their best, the results are startling. In thi...

    Read more

  • Apes, Earthquakes, and Jello Horses: Special Effects Landmarks in Sound Films

    01/06/15

    Five years separate the premieres of The Jazz Singer (1927), with its brief but irresistible sequences of Al Jolson's singing, from Love Me Tonight (1932), a miracle of score synchronization, fluid camera, and optical effects. In the early sound period, the major studios hired more technical advisers and, for certain effects-filled films, began to accept higher ends in production costs and schedules.At their best, the results are startling. In thi...

    Read more

  • Silent Cinema: The Best Silent Films You've Never Heard Of

    Today we are going to be taking a look at the runners-up, the also-rans. The silent movies that are wonderful and enjoyable, perhaps very popular in their day (and probably known to silent film buffs) but don't seem to get the same amount of attention as their more famous siblings.Pandora's Box, The General, Metropolis, The Gold Rush... This article is not about them. It's about stepping off the beaten path and maybe discovering something magical.

    Read more

  • The Old Corral: Here Comes Santa Claus (And The Cowboy And The Indians)

    The Cowboy and the Indians (1949) Directed by John English Produced by Armand Schaefer Cast: Gene Autry (Gene Autry), Sheila Ryan (Doctor Nan), Frank Richards (Smiley Martin), Hank Patterson (Tom), Jay Silverheels (Lakohna), Claudia Drake (Lucy Broken Arm), Georgie Nokes (Rona), Charles Stevens (Broken Arm), Alex Frazer (Fred), Clayton Moore (Luke), Iron Eyes Cody Gene Autry wore a lot of hats, and not just in the literal sense....

    Read more

  • TV TIME: Classic Christmas Episodes

    Even though the 'holiday shopping season' now begins right after Halloween, it flies by more quickly each year. I loved all the Christmas episodes and specials on television as a kid, but they somehow made the wait even more agonizing. Today it's all a blur, but at least with DVD I can slow down and get a dose of yuletide cheer whenever I need it. Let's examine some of the best Christmas episodes of the classic television era, a simpler time when the medium focused more on telling...

    Read more

  • Santa's Surprises: 12 Overlooked Christmas Classics

    'Tis the season for watching Christmas movies! There's something extra-special about the holiday classics we enjoy year after year. Beyond the pleasures of the films themselves, over time the movies also become wrapped up in our heightened memories of the holiday season as we remember sharing them with family and friends. For many of us, the season doesn't feel complete until we've watched Holiday Inn (1942), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), The Bish...

    Read more

  • Classics 101 - Presenting Alfred Hitchcock, Part 3: The Selznick Years

    On March 4, 1939, with Jamaica Inn finished, Hitch loaded Alma, Pat, and assistant Joan Harrison on the ship bound for New York, leaving England and establishing permanent residence in the U.S. After a brief tour of the country and a stop in Cuba, the Hitchcock's arrived in California in April and Selznick advised Hitch that his proposed Titanic film was temporarily shelved and his first U.S. film would be Rebecca. The making of the Daphne du Maurier adaptation i...

    Read more

  • TV TIME: Exploring Batman - Season 1

    Since this is one of the most eagerly anticipated TV-on-DVD releases in the history of the format, I'll say right off the bat (please consider that awful pun an homage) that Warner Home Video delivers with Season 1 of the 1966 Batman series! It gives us what we've never had: All 34 uncut episodes in great quality. Nearly 50 years after its debut, the program holds up as lively entertainment and dazzling eye candy. When this set arrived, I loaded the first disc just to do a quick chec...

    Read more

  • TV TIME: Looking at Batman - Season 1

    12/09/14 by Linda Gillard

    Since this is one of the most eagerly anticipated TV-on-DVD releases in the history of the format, I'll say right off the bat (please consider that awful pun an homage) that Warner Home Video delivers with Season 1 of the 1966 Batman series! It gives us what we've never had: All 34 uncut episodes in great quality. Nearly 50 years after its debut, the program holds up as lively entertainment and dazzling eye candy. When this set arrived, I loaded the first disc just to do a quick chec...

    Read more
Categories
Tag cloud
Recent entries
Archive