Kino’s Noir boxes offer interesting noir-adjacent crime and mystery pix. This seventh return to the well of darkness brings up the organized crime ‘meller’ Chicago Confidential with Brian Keith and the more ambitious The Boss, starring John Payne and written by Dalton Trumbo. The third show The Fearmakers is a real oddity. Starring Dana Andrews and directed by Jacques Tourneur, it’s a political conspiracy tale about manipulating opinions with fraudulent polls. It sounds a lot like the fractured state of modern America, 65 years later. With commentaries by Jason A. Ney and Alan K. Rode.
Film Noir the Dark Side of Cinema VII
The Boss, Chicago Confidential, The Fearmakers
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1956-1958 / B&w / Street Date June 7, 2022 / 249 min. / available through Kino Lorber / 49.95
Starring: John Payne, Gloria McGehee, Brian Keith, Beverly Garland, Dana Andrews, Marilee Earle.
Directed by Byron Haskin, Sidney Salkow, Jacques Tourneur
Kino treads the dark...
Film Noir the Dark Side of Cinema VII
The Boss, Chicago Confidential, The Fearmakers
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1956-1958 / B&w / Street Date June 7, 2022 / 249 min. / available through Kino Lorber / 49.95
Starring: John Payne, Gloria McGehee, Brian Keith, Beverly Garland, Dana Andrews, Marilee Earle.
Directed by Byron Haskin, Sidney Salkow, Jacques Tourneur
Kino treads the dark...
- 5/31/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
¡Ai Caramba! It’s the best movie ever made about a killer Spanish Conquistador from beyond the grave. This is probably the most satisfying of Richard Cunha’s monster romps despite being rudimentary in all respects. The script is dire and the monster just a generic bogeyman, but the actors are pleasant and the locations attractive. The filmmakers had the last laugh anyway, as the plain-wrap show garnered a nationwide theatrical release. The Film Detective wisely brought on Tom Weaver to front the extras, as he had the picture fully documented years ago.
Giant from the Unknown
Blu-ray
The Film Detective
1958 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 78 min. / Street Date January 15, 2021 / Available from The Film Detective / 24.95
Starring: Ed Kemmer, Sally Fraser, Bob Steele, Morris Ankrum, Buddy Baer, Gary Crutcher, Oliver Blake, Jolene Brand, Billy Dix.
Cinematography: Dick Cunha
Makeup: Jack P. Pierce
Original Music: Albert Glasser
Written by Frank Hart Taussig, Ralph Brooke
Produced by Marc Frederick,...
Giant from the Unknown
Blu-ray
The Film Detective
1958 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 78 min. / Street Date January 15, 2021 / Available from The Film Detective / 24.95
Starring: Ed Kemmer, Sally Fraser, Bob Steele, Morris Ankrum, Buddy Baer, Gary Crutcher, Oliver Blake, Jolene Brand, Billy Dix.
Cinematography: Dick Cunha
Makeup: Jack P. Pierce
Original Music: Albert Glasser
Written by Frank Hart Taussig, Ralph Brooke
Produced by Marc Frederick,...
- 2/2/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Bert I. Gordon rides again, with an excellent encoding of one of his more popular sci-fi monster-ramas. Pert ‘n’ perky June Kenney is so brave that she keeps going back to ‘that old cave outside of town,’ despite not knowing how many giant spiders are on the loose. Teenagers in their thirties and their bebop-crazy rock ‘n’ roll are no match for Gordon’s titanic, screaming arachnid. This spidey is just plain shifty, the kind of unscrupulous fiend that colors his crayons outside the (matte) lines … in crimson B&w blood! June Kenney’s mom knows her girl only two well: “… I hope she hasn’t gone back to that cave.” With some excellent extras, namely about a million rare behind-the-scenes stills from Tom Weaver.
The Spider
Blu-ray
Scream Factory
1958 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 73 min. / Earth vs. The Spider / Street Date June 23, 2020
Starring: Ed Kemmer, June Kenney, Gene Persson, Gene Roth,...
The Spider
Blu-ray
Scream Factory
1958 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 73 min. / Earth vs. The Spider / Street Date June 23, 2020
Starring: Ed Kemmer, June Kenney, Gene Persson, Gene Roth,...
- 6/27/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
He’s back — looking meaner and uglier than ever! Bert I. Gordon’s early sci-fi effort shapes up as a surprisingly entertaining monster thriller with an elemental appeal. And lots of groaning and howling, too. Led by Lon Chaney Jr., the all-name cast keeps things lively. The pop-eyed monster is the ultimate bogeyman for the kiddies. Any movie that inspired as many nightmares as this one did, can’t be bad.
The Cyclops
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1957 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 66 min. / Street Date September 25, 2010 / available through the Warner Archive Collection / 19.95
Starring James Craig, Gloria Talbott, Lon Chaney Jr., Tom Drake, Duncan Parkin, Vincent Padula.
Cinematography Ira Morgan
Film Editor Carlo Lodato
Technical Effects Bert I. Gordon, Flora Gordon
Vocal Effects Paul Frees
Makeup Jack H. Young
Original Music Albert Glasser
Written, Produced and Directed by Bert I. Gordon
The pleasant surprises keep coming, and this time out the Wac...
The Cyclops
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1957 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 66 min. / Street Date September 25, 2010 / available through the Warner Archive Collection / 19.95
Starring James Craig, Gloria Talbott, Lon Chaney Jr., Tom Drake, Duncan Parkin, Vincent Padula.
Cinematography Ira Morgan
Film Editor Carlo Lodato
Technical Effects Bert I. Gordon, Flora Gordon
Vocal Effects Paul Frees
Makeup Jack H. Young
Original Music Albert Glasser
Written, Produced and Directed by Bert I. Gordon
The pleasant surprises keep coming, and this time out the Wac...
- 9/25/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
All hail Bert I. Gordon, who singlehandedly carved out his own niche in ‘fifties monster folklore, and even won a battle or two against those sharpies at A.I.P.. His puppet people were originally just ‘Fantastic,’ but they had to be made into a menace with the “A” word usually reserved for icky poo Giant Leeches, Crab Monsters and 50-Foot Women.
Attack of the Puppet People
Blu-ray
Scream Factory
1958 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 79 min. / The Fantastic Puppet People, Six Inches Tall, I Was a Teenage Doll, War of the Puppet People / Street Date November 14, 2017 / 27.99
Starring: John Agar, John Hoyt, June Kenney, Susan Gordon, Michael Mark, Kack Kosslyn, Marlene Willis, Ken Miller, Laurie Mitchell, Scott Peters, June Jocelyn, Hank Patterson.
Cinematography: Ernest Laszlo
Special Effects: Bert I. Gordon, Flora M. Gordon
Original Music: Albert Glasser
Written by George Worthing Yates
Story, Produced & Directed by Bert I. Gordon
It’s easy...
Attack of the Puppet People
Blu-ray
Scream Factory
1958 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 79 min. / The Fantastic Puppet People, Six Inches Tall, I Was a Teenage Doll, War of the Puppet People / Street Date November 14, 2017 / 27.99
Starring: John Agar, John Hoyt, June Kenney, Susan Gordon, Michael Mark, Kack Kosslyn, Marlene Willis, Ken Miller, Laurie Mitchell, Scott Peters, June Jocelyn, Hank Patterson.
Cinematography: Ernest Laszlo
Special Effects: Bert I. Gordon, Flora M. Gordon
Original Music: Albert Glasser
Written by George Worthing Yates
Story, Produced & Directed by Bert I. Gordon
It’s easy...
- 11/18/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
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