It's probably the fault of closed-minded, conservative propaganda that the idea of subversiveness within art received a bad reputation. Just as all art is political, all art is (or at least can be) a little subversive. Certainly the dictionary definition of the term, where a work of art intends to undermine the power and/or authority of an established idea, system or value, is heavily akin to the way plot structure tends to be broken down within plays and screenplays: a period of Stasis being interrupted by an Intrusion or Inciting Action, and so on.
Given how weird a number of people are when it comes to the behavior and attitudes toward the Christmas holiday, it's no real surprise that any art having to do with Christmas tends toward subversion. This can manifest in tangential ways (like the slapstick violence of the "Home Alone" series) or direct ways (Santa Claus...
Given how weird a number of people are when it comes to the behavior and attitudes toward the Christmas holiday, it's no real surprise that any art having to do with Christmas tends toward subversion. This can manifest in tangential ways (like the slapstick violence of the "Home Alone" series) or direct ways (Santa Claus...
- 12/16/2023
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
Along with being one of the finest shows in the history of television, the original run of Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone" could function as a laboratory for advancements in visual effects. The often fantastical nature of the series, and Serling's desire to push the envelope of the still-developing medium's potential, was something of a creative sandbox for directors. As such, the show attracted not just aspiring young filmmakers like Richard Donner, Jack Smight, and Richard C. Sarafian, but established masters on the level of Jacques Tourneur, Don Siegel, and Norman Z. McLeod.
Douglas Heyes was more of a journeyman director when entered "The Twilight Zone." His experience and skill were highly valuable to Serling, who assigned him a total of nine episodes – the second most over the show's five seasons next to John Brahm's 12. Heyes' most celebrated episode is probably "Eye of the Beholder," the creepy tale...
Douglas Heyes was more of a journeyman director when entered "The Twilight Zone." His experience and skill were highly valuable to Serling, who assigned him a total of nine episodes – the second most over the show's five seasons next to John Brahm's 12. Heyes' most celebrated episode is probably "Eye of the Beholder," the creepy tale...
- 11/19/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
"Witness if you will, a dungeon, made out of mountains, salt flats, and sand that stretch to infinity. The dungeon has an inmate: James A. Corry ... a convicted criminal placed in solitary confinement. Confinement in this case stretches as far as the eye can see, because this particular dungeon is on an asteroid nine million miles from the Earth. Now witness, if you will, a man's mind and body shriveling in the sun, a man dying of loneliness."
These words grace the opening of "The Lonely," the seventh episode in the first season of Rod Serling's anthology series, "The Twilight Zone." "The Lonely" was the first episode to be shot on location once filming for the first season commenced, and the premise of the tale, as narrated above, presented an immediate problem. There was no dearth of actors who could do justice to the soul-crushing exile that James A.
These words grace the opening of "The Lonely," the seventh episode in the first season of Rod Serling's anthology series, "The Twilight Zone." "The Lonely" was the first episode to be shot on location once filming for the first season commenced, and the premise of the tale, as narrated above, presented an immediate problem. There was no dearth of actors who could do justice to the soul-crushing exile that James A.
- 10/14/2023
- by Debopriyaa Dutta
- Slash Film
"To me," Quentin Tarantino writes, "'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' is one of the few perfect movies ever made." The celebrated "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" director drops the observation near the tail end of his latest book "Cinema Speculation," a nonfiction rumination on cinema. In fact, his praise of "Chain Saw" isn't even the focal point of the chapter it's found in, it's a preamble to an entire chapter dedicated to Tobe Hooper's 1981 big studio follow-up, "The Funhouse." He goes on to write that there are few movies that can really be called "perfect," which is fine since that isn't the end goal when it comes to storytelling. "Nevertheless," he goes on, "when it's accomplished (even by accident), it's an achievement."
Speaking with Jimmy Kimmel while promoting the book, Tarantino listed a handful of movies that he considers perfect, prefacing his picks with clarification on...
Speaking with Jimmy Kimmel while promoting the book, Tarantino listed a handful of movies that he considers perfect, prefacing his picks with clarification on...
- 1/11/2023
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
Lee Marvin, Vera Miles and Bradford Dillman shine a military courtroom drama, a TV movie released as a theatrical feature five years later. It’s small-scale but effective, with strong performances and a reasonably credible storyline. Marvin’s Ryker is on trial for his life, with the entire U.S. Army convinced that he’s a traitor. Attorney Bradford Dillman stumbles in his defense — other officers catch him consorting with Ryker’s wife. It’s a treat for Lee Marvin fans, provided they don’t expect the action epic depicted on the posters.
Sergeant Ryker
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1968 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 85 min. / Street Date January 10, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Lee Marvin, Bradford Dillman, Peter Graves, Vera Miles, Lloyd Nolan, Murray Hamilton, Norman Fell, Walter Brooke, Charles Aidman.
Cinematography: Walter Strenge
Production Designer:
Art Director: John J. Lloyd
Film Editor: Robert B. Warwick
Original Music: John Williams
Written by Seelef Lester,...
Sergeant Ryker
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1968 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 85 min. / Street Date January 10, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Lee Marvin, Bradford Dillman, Peter Graves, Vera Miles, Lloyd Nolan, Murray Hamilton, Norman Fell, Walter Brooke, Charles Aidman.
Cinematography: Walter Strenge
Production Designer:
Art Director: John J. Lloyd
Film Editor: Robert B. Warwick
Original Music: John Williams
Written by Seelef Lester,...
- 12/31/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Walter Mirisch’s slam-bang, eardrum-pounding Sensurround stock footage orgy for the Centennial Year gathers an impressive lineup of big stars to celebrate the U.S. Navy’s biggest aircraft carrier battle: Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, James Coburn, Glenn Ford, Hal Holbrook, Toshiro Mifune. Director Jack Smight manages the talky, exposition-laden account of a sprawling, complicated battle rather well, at least in terms of clarity. What is unwatchable pan-scanned on TV isn’t half bad for fans of big-scale war movies. Pi gives us an approximation of Sensurround (I think), and also John Ford’s short subject The Battle of Midway from 1942.
Midway
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1976 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 132 min. / Street Date October 25, 2021 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99
Starring: Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda.
Guest Stars (in alphabetical order): James Coburn, Glenn Ford, Hal Holbrook, Toshiro Mifune, Robert Mitchum, Cliff Robertson, Robert Wagner. Also starring: Edward Albert, Robert Webber, Ed Nelson,...
Midway
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1976 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 132 min. / Street Date October 25, 2021 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99
Starring: Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda.
Guest Stars (in alphabetical order): James Coburn, Glenn Ford, Hal Holbrook, Toshiro Mifune, Robert Mitchum, Cliff Robertson, Robert Wagner. Also starring: Edward Albert, Robert Webber, Ed Nelson,...
- 11/9/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
As far as sci-fi films go, there is before Star Wars and after; the film forever altered the landscape and the box office with an old fashioned sense of adventure long relegated to Hollywood’s past. But what about during Star Wars? After all, Twentieth Century Fox was pushing their bet towards another property for prosperity: the post-apocalyptic Damnation Alley, an adaptation of the hit 1969 novel by Roger Zelazny. We all know which brought in the Fox funds, and it certainly wasn’t this goofy Stagecoach tribute (as opposed to Sw’s The Hidden Fortress one). But as The Little Fox That Didn’t, Damnation Alley was this kid’s sci-fi horror boogie; seven and alone, just me and The Landmaster military Rv that costars.
There’s no need to call child services; growing up in a small town, I saw many a film solo - that darkened screen was my closest friend.
There’s no need to call child services; growing up in a small town, I saw many a film solo - that darkened screen was my closest friend.
- 2/20/2021
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Based on Mary Shelley’s timeless novel Frankenstein, Jack Smight's Frankenstein: The True Story is coming to Blu-ray on March 24th from Scream Factory, and ahead of its release, we've been provided with the full list of bonus features and a look at the cover art:
Press Release: Get ready to experience the horror and suspense of the timeless Frankenstein story. On March 24, 2020, Scream Factory™ will unleash the epic horror classic Frankenstein: The True Story on Blu-ray. Directed by Jack Smight and teleplay by Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy, this gruesome, heart-pounding thriller features an incredible cast, including James Mason, Leonard Whiting (Romeo & Juliet), David McCallum, Jane Seymour, Nicola Pagett (An Awfully Big Adventure), Michael Sarrazin, and Agnes Moorehead. Frankenstein: The True Story retells Mary Shelley’s unforgettable story. Victor Frankenstein’s medical experiments result in the shocking discovery that he can revive the dead. But when the...
Press Release: Get ready to experience the horror and suspense of the timeless Frankenstein story. On March 24, 2020, Scream Factory™ will unleash the epic horror classic Frankenstein: The True Story on Blu-ray. Directed by Jack Smight and teleplay by Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy, this gruesome, heart-pounding thriller features an incredible cast, including James Mason, Leonard Whiting (Romeo & Juliet), David McCallum, Jane Seymour, Nicola Pagett (An Awfully Big Adventure), Michael Sarrazin, and Agnes Moorehead. Frankenstein: The True Story retells Mary Shelley’s unforgettable story. Victor Frankenstein’s medical experiments result in the shocking discovery that he can revive the dead. But when the...
- 2/13/2020
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Midway, directed by Roland Emmerich, is a kinda-remake of a not-very-good movie from 1976 about the impressive World War II battle. For as consequential as the Battle of Midway was, let us hope there will one day be a feature film to properly match the subject matter. The first Midway, directed by Jack Smight, starred some of the biggest–and oldest–stars at the time: Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, and Robert Mitchum, to name a few. This new one is a little lighter on the star power. There’s Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, and a wig-heavy Woody Harrelson to be sure, but the majority of screen time is devoted to a younger set of talent.
Ed Skrein leads the ensemble, playing a cocksure soldier named Dick Best. It is a character name that, was it not based on a real-life hero, would be a bit too much. But then, it does fit here.
Ed Skrein leads the ensemble, playing a cocksure soldier named Dick Best. It is a character name that, was it not based on a real-life hero, would be a bit too much. But then, it does fit here.
- 11/9/2019
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
CinemaThe film stars Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid, Darren Criss and Woody Harrelson.Tnm StaffAmong the many films to be made on one of the most important events in American history, the attack on Pearl Harbor, Midway is the latest. A war drama directed by Roland Emmerich, the film is expected to release on November 8, 2019 in the Us, right in time for the Veterans Day weekend. The Godzilla director is known for his apocalyptical films like Independence Day (1996), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), 10,000 BC (2008), 2012 (2009) and White House Down (2013). Written by Wes Tooke, the film boasts of an ensemble cast - Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid, Darren Criss and Woody Harrelson. Midway was announced in May 2017 and began production in September last year. According to reports, Ed Skrein plays Dick Best, the real-life dive...
- 10/29/2019
- by Anjana
- The News Minute
Goldman won two Oscars in 1970 and 1977.
Oscar-winning screenwriter and novelist William Goldman, who wrote films including Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid and The Princess Bride, has died aged 87, in his sleep at his home in New York.
It is reported that Goldman was surrounded by family and friends when he died. His daughter Jenny has confirmed that his death was the result of colon cancer and pneumonia.
Goldman was part of the New Hollywood in the 1970s which changed the American film industry. He won two Oscars in this time: for Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid in 1970 and...
Oscar-winning screenwriter and novelist William Goldman, who wrote films including Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid and The Princess Bride, has died aged 87, in his sleep at his home in New York.
It is reported that Goldman was surrounded by family and friends when he died. His daughter Jenny has confirmed that his death was the result of colon cancer and pneumonia.
Goldman was part of the New Hollywood in the 1970s which changed the American film industry. He won two Oscars in this time: for Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid in 1970 and...
- 11/16/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Goldman won two Oscars in 1970 and 1977.
Oscar-winning screenwriter and novelist William Goldman, who wrote films including Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid and The Princess Bride, has died aged 87, in his sleep at his home in New York.
It is reported that Goldman was surrounded by family and friends when he died. His daughter Jenny has confirmed that his death was the result of colon cancer and pneumonia.
Goldman was part of the New Hollywood in the 1970s which changed the American film industry. He won two Oscars in this time: for Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid in 1970 and...
Oscar-winning screenwriter and novelist William Goldman, who wrote films including Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid and The Princess Bride, has died aged 87, in his sleep at his home in New York.
It is reported that Goldman was surrounded by family and friends when he died. His daughter Jenny has confirmed that his death was the result of colon cancer and pneumonia.
Goldman was part of the New Hollywood in the 1970s which changed the American film industry. He won two Oscars in this time: for Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid in 1970 and...
- 11/16/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Ross Macdonald’s Cool Cat detective — originally Lew Archer — comes alive in Jack Smight’s smart SoCal kidnapping mystery, thanks to a charismatic Paul Newman and a hot cast of bright, smart actors. It’s the first screenplay sale for the celebrated William Goldman, and the crisp cinematography by ace cameraman Conrad Hall doesn’t hurt either.
Harper
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1966 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 121 min. / Street Date February 27, 2018 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Paul Newman, Lauren Bacall, Julie Harris, Arthur Hill, Janet Leigh, Pamela Tiffin, Robert Wagner, Robert Webber, Shelley Winters, Harold Gould, Roy Jenson, Strother Martin, Martin West, Jacqueline deWit.
Cinematography Conrad Hall
Art Direction Alfred Sweeney
Film Editor Stefan Arnsten
Original Music Johnny Mandel
Written by William Goldman from The Moving Target by Ross Macdonald
Produced by Jerry Gershwin, Elliott Kastner
Directed by Jack Smight
Gumshoe detective movies (as opposed to police movies about detectives) suffered a dip in the 1960s,...
Harper
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1966 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 121 min. / Street Date February 27, 2018 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Paul Newman, Lauren Bacall, Julie Harris, Arthur Hill, Janet Leigh, Pamela Tiffin, Robert Wagner, Robert Webber, Shelley Winters, Harold Gould, Roy Jenson, Strother Martin, Martin West, Jacqueline deWit.
Cinematography Conrad Hall
Art Direction Alfred Sweeney
Film Editor Stefan Arnsten
Original Music Johnny Mandel
Written by William Goldman from The Moving Target by Ross Macdonald
Produced by Jerry Gershwin, Elliott Kastner
Directed by Jack Smight
Gumshoe detective movies (as opposed to police movies about detectives) suffered a dip in the 1960s,...
- 2/13/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Nick Aldwinckle Nov 27, 2017
Our latest round-up of genre DVDs and Blu-rays covers George A Romero, Damnation Alley and more...
With real life’s ridiculous news stories almost beyond parody, it seems fitting that 2017 was the year we saw George A. Romero, the master of satirical zombie tomfoolery, responsible for horror classics from Dawn Of The Dead through to Tales From The Dark Side, shuffle off this mortal coil. To commemorate three of Romero’s less celebrated early movies, Arrow Video has released the intriguing Between Night And Dawn set on Bluray, with ample extras to sate the most eager fanboy/girl.
First up, and by far the movie most will know (perhaps due to its 2010 remake), 1973's The Crazies plays out almost like a retread of Romero's 1968 debut Night Of The Living Dead, with a group of townsfolk again subject to a dodgy violence-inducing substance whilst military jackanapes try and control the epidemic.
Our latest round-up of genre DVDs and Blu-rays covers George A Romero, Damnation Alley and more...
With real life’s ridiculous news stories almost beyond parody, it seems fitting that 2017 was the year we saw George A. Romero, the master of satirical zombie tomfoolery, responsible for horror classics from Dawn Of The Dead through to Tales From The Dark Side, shuffle off this mortal coil. To commemorate three of Romero’s less celebrated early movies, Arrow Video has released the intriguing Between Night And Dawn set on Bluray, with ample extras to sate the most eager fanboy/girl.
First up, and by far the movie most will know (perhaps due to its 2010 remake), 1973's The Crazies plays out almost like a retread of Romero's 1968 debut Night Of The Living Dead, with a group of townsfolk again subject to a dodgy violence-inducing substance whilst military jackanapes try and control the epidemic.
- 11/15/2017
- Den of Geek
Ray Bradbury adapted to the screen is always something to check out; this Jack Smight- directed trio of stories bound together by a mystery man wearing the graffiti of the title at least works up a little ethereal-cereal excitement. Husband and wife Rod Steiger and Claire Bloom spout ominous dialogue as they face various futuristic threats.
The Illustrated Man
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1969 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date September 19, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Rod Steiger, Claire Bloom, Robert Drivas, Don Dubbins, Jason Evers, Tim Weldon, Christine Matchett
Cinematography: Philip H. Lathrop
Art Direction: Joel Schiller
Film Editor: Archie Marshek
Original Music: Jerry Goldsmith
Written by Howard B. Kreitsek from the book by Ray Bradbury
Produced by Howard B. Kreitsek, Ted Mann
Directed by Jack Smight
Ray Bradbury must have had some frustrating times as a screenwriter, although the three times I saw him in person he never...
The Illustrated Man
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1969 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date September 19, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Rod Steiger, Claire Bloom, Robert Drivas, Don Dubbins, Jason Evers, Tim Weldon, Christine Matchett
Cinematography: Philip H. Lathrop
Art Direction: Joel Schiller
Film Editor: Archie Marshek
Original Music: Jerry Goldsmith
Written by Howard B. Kreitsek from the book by Ray Bradbury
Produced by Howard B. Kreitsek, Ted Mann
Directed by Jack Smight
Ray Bradbury must have had some frustrating times as a screenwriter, although the three times I saw him in person he never...
- 9/12/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Chicago – Norman Lear is one of the greatest TV creators of the 20th Century, and beyond. The producer was a titan of 1970s television, with shows like “All in the Family,” “Good Times,” “Maude” and “Sanford and Son.” He is the topic of a new film documentary, “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You.”
Lear is the embodiment of television history, having worked in the medium since its advent in the 1950s. He began with partner Ed Simmons, writing for shows like the “Ford Star Revue” and “The Colgate Comedy Hour” (with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis). Throughout the 1950s and ‘60s, he produced television that was common at the time – star oriented and non-controversial – while also writing and producing movie satire like “Divorce, American Style” and “Cold Turkey,” with partner Bud Yorkin. In the late 1960s, he began to work on a pilot called “Justice for All,” featuring a bigoted character named “Archie Justice.
Lear is the embodiment of television history, having worked in the medium since its advent in the 1950s. He began with partner Ed Simmons, writing for shows like the “Ford Star Revue” and “The Colgate Comedy Hour” (with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis). Throughout the 1950s and ‘60s, he produced television that was common at the time – star oriented and non-controversial – while also writing and producing movie satire like “Divorce, American Style” and “Cold Turkey,” with partner Bud Yorkin. In the late 1960s, he began to work on a pilot called “Justice for All,” featuring a bigoted character named “Archie Justice.
- 8/1/2016
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Independence Day: Resurgence director and all-round maestro of cinematic destruction Roland Emmerich has teed up plans for his next movie and, spoilers, it doesn’t involve vengeful aliens.
Addressing the crowd at a special Fox screening of Independence Day, designed to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the original blockbuster, Emmerich announced plans to create a war film based on the Battle of Midway. Set during the throes of World War II and, in particular, soon after Japan’s stealth attack on Pearl Harbor, it’ll follow an American plan to coordinate a deadly attack on a Japanese fleet.
It was a gruelling maritime battle that stretched for four days, but ultimately resulted in an emphatic victory for the Allies, who were able to intercept Japanese radio transmissions to pinpoint the exact location of the doomed fleet.
First reported by Coming Soon, here’s what Emmerich had to share about the...
Addressing the crowd at a special Fox screening of Independence Day, designed to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the original blockbuster, Emmerich announced plans to create a war film based on the Battle of Midway. Set during the throes of World War II and, in particular, soon after Japan’s stealth attack on Pearl Harbor, it’ll follow an American plan to coordinate a deadly attack on a Japanese fleet.
It was a gruelling maritime battle that stretched for four days, but ultimately resulted in an emphatic victory for the Allies, who were able to intercept Japanese radio transmissions to pinpoint the exact location of the doomed fleet.
First reported by Coming Soon, here’s what Emmerich had to share about the...
- 5/4/2016
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
Arlen Schumer Dec 24, 2018
Rod Serling was born on Christmas Day. We look at "Night of the Meek," a holiday offering from the writer/creator of The Twilight Zone...
Rodman Edward Serling (1924-1975), the creator and head writer of the legendary science fiction/fantasy/horror anthology TV series The Twilight Zone, was born in Syracuse, New York (but raised downstate in Binghamton), on Christmas Day.
Though raised Jewish, and, according to his daughter Anne Serling, “fiercely proud of his heritage,” Serling’s wife, Carol, was Unitarian, and her husband came to share her liking for Unitarianism’s “free thinking, the permission to believe what one wants.”
Yet Rod Serling, like a lot of American Jews who suffer from annual Christmas-envy, loved and celebrated the holiday more as a secular/spiritual American holiday (like Thanksgiving), and mostly for what he called “the wondrous magic” of Christmas.
As a writer for radio in the early 1950s in Cincinnati,...
Rod Serling was born on Christmas Day. We look at "Night of the Meek," a holiday offering from the writer/creator of The Twilight Zone...
Rodman Edward Serling (1924-1975), the creator and head writer of the legendary science fiction/fantasy/horror anthology TV series The Twilight Zone, was born in Syracuse, New York (but raised downstate in Binghamton), on Christmas Day.
Though raised Jewish, and, according to his daughter Anne Serling, “fiercely proud of his heritage,” Serling’s wife, Carol, was Unitarian, and her husband came to share her liking for Unitarianism’s “free thinking, the permission to believe what one wants.”
Yet Rod Serling, like a lot of American Jews who suffer from annual Christmas-envy, loved and celebrated the holiday more as a secular/spiritual American holiday (like Thanksgiving), and mostly for what he called “the wondrous magic” of Christmas.
As a writer for radio in the early 1950s in Cincinnati,...
- 12/17/2015
- Den of Geek
Wesley Mead Dec 22, 2016
Wesley counts down the penultimate 20 entries in the top 100 Christmas TV episodes of all time list: from number 40 to 21...
This article was first published in December 2015. Read entries 100 - 81 here, entries 80 - 61 here, and entries 60 - 41 here.
See related New on Netflix UK: what's added in December 2016? New Us sci-fi, fantasy and horror shows for 2016 15 underappreciated books: sci-fi, fantasy, horror fiction Another Earth: an interview with director Mike Cahill
Since the medium’s infancy, viewers have enjoyed sharing holidays with their favourite television characters. We grow invested in our friends on screen over the years; spending Christmas with them is a rite of passage, a chance for us to share tradition from our world with the fictional ones we see on screen. Some shows embrace the season wholeheartedly, characters in good spirits and enjoying the trappings of the season; others skew a little darker, bringing the more oppressive,...
Wesley counts down the penultimate 20 entries in the top 100 Christmas TV episodes of all time list: from number 40 to 21...
This article was first published in December 2015. Read entries 100 - 81 here, entries 80 - 61 here, and entries 60 - 41 here.
See related New on Netflix UK: what's added in December 2016? New Us sci-fi, fantasy and horror shows for 2016 15 underappreciated books: sci-fi, fantasy, horror fiction Another Earth: an interview with director Mike Cahill
Since the medium’s infancy, viewers have enjoyed sharing holidays with their favourite television characters. We grow invested in our friends on screen over the years; spending Christmas with them is a rite of passage, a chance for us to share tradition from our world with the fictional ones we see on screen. Some shows embrace the season wholeheartedly, characters in good spirits and enjoying the trappings of the season; others skew a little darker, bringing the more oppressive,...
- 12/16/2015
- Den of Geek
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Wesley counts down the penultimate 20 entries in the top 100 Christmas TV episodes of all time list: from number 40 to 21...
Read entries 100 - 81 here, entries 80 - 61 here, and entries 60 - 41 here.
Since the medium’s infancy, viewers have enjoyed sharing holidays with their favourite television characters. We grow invested in our friends on screen over the years; spending Christmas with them is a rite of passage, a chance for us to share tradition from our world with the fictional ones we see on screen. Some shows embrace the season wholeheartedly, characters in good spirits and enjoying the trappings of the season; others skew a little darker, bringing the more oppressive, burdensome side of the holidays to life. Either way, Christmas episodes tend to demonstrate the strengths of our favourite series, and it’s long been a festive ritual of mine to wheel out old DVD sets and settle...
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Wesley counts down the penultimate 20 entries in the top 100 Christmas TV episodes of all time list: from number 40 to 21...
Read entries 100 - 81 here, entries 80 - 61 here, and entries 60 - 41 here.
Since the medium’s infancy, viewers have enjoyed sharing holidays with their favourite television characters. We grow invested in our friends on screen over the years; spending Christmas with them is a rite of passage, a chance for us to share tradition from our world with the fictional ones we see on screen. Some shows embrace the season wholeheartedly, characters in good spirits and enjoying the trappings of the season; others skew a little darker, bringing the more oppressive, burdensome side of the holidays to life. Either way, Christmas episodes tend to demonstrate the strengths of our favourite series, and it’s long been a festive ritual of mine to wheel out old DVD sets and settle...
- 12/16/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Julie Harris: Best Actress Oscar nominee, multiple Tony winner dead at 87 (photo: James Dean and Julie Harris in ‘East of Eden’) Film, stage, and television actress Julie Harris, a Best Actress Academy Award nominee for the psychological drama The Member of the Wedding and James Dean’s leading lady in East of Eden, died of congestive heart failure at her home in West Chatham, Massachusetts, on August 24, 2013. Harris, born in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, on December 2, 1925, was 87. Throughout her career, Julie Harris collected ten Tony Award nominations, more than any other performer. She won five times — a record matched only by that of Angela Lansbury. Harris’ Tony Award wins were for I Am a Camera (1952), The Lark (1956), Forty Carats (1969), The Last of Mrs. Lincoln (1973), and The Belle of Amherst (1977). Harris’ tenth and final Tony nomination was for The Gin Game (1997). In 2002, she was honored with a Special Lifetime Achievement Tony Award.
- 8/25/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
This beautiful poster for Xan Cassavetes’s vampire yarn Kiss of the Damned, which opens in theaters today, was designed and illustrated by Akiko Stehrenberger, whom I interviewed in 2010 after having selected her Funny Games poster as my favorite movie poster of the last decade.
I asked Akiko recently if she would choose ten of her all-time favorite posters to share with us, to give us an idea of her influences and aesthetic leanings, but first of all we spoke about the inspiration behind this delightfully retro poster. She told me how she was definitely inspired by the work of the great American poster illustrator Bob Peak (1927-1992).
“I took notes from his Petulia and Funny Girl, where things fall away to white and become a simplified graphic element. This falling away to white technique, I also incorporate into my own personal portrait work.”
“I also took a big lead...
I asked Akiko recently if she would choose ten of her all-time favorite posters to share with us, to give us an idea of her influences and aesthetic leanings, but first of all we spoke about the inspiration behind this delightfully retro poster. She told me how she was definitely inspired by the work of the great American poster illustrator Bob Peak (1927-1992).
“I took notes from his Petulia and Funny Girl, where things fall away to white and become a simplified graphic element. This falling away to white technique, I also incorporate into my own personal portrait work.”
“I also took a big lead...
- 5/3/2013
- by Adrian Curry
- MUBI
Janet Leigh biography final. Check out previous articles: Touch Of Evil / Orson Welles / The Manchurian Candidate and Psycho / marriaget to Tony Curtis. Leigh's movie career slowed down in the mid-60s. Among her sporadic movies from 1966 on were: Jack Smight’s Harper (1966), with Paul Newman, Lauren Bacall, and others; Jerry Lewis Three on a Couch; Robert Gist's An American Dream, with Stuart Whitman and Eleanor Parker; Jack Arnold's Hello Down There with Tony Randall; Giuliano Montaldo's Grand Slam, with Robert Hoffman, Mel Stuart's One Is a Lonely Number / Two Is a Happy Number, with Trish Van Devere, Monte Markham, and Melvyn Douglas; William F. Claxton’s Night of the Lepus (1972), with Whitman and Rory Calhoun; Stephen Verona’s Boardwalk, with Ruth Gordon and Lee Strasberg; and John Carpenter’s The Fog (1980), with Jamie Lee Curtis, Adrienne Barbeau, and Hal Holbrook. On TV, Leigh was featured in,...
- 7/6/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The science fiction world suffered a great loss with the death of the legendary Ray Bradbury, who departed this universe on June 5th 2012 at the age of 91. An incredible influence on the genre during the forties and fifties, Bradbury re-defined 20th Century American fiction with a prolific output that tackled a wide variety of subjects. But it was science fiction that he will be best remembered for. Most of his short stories and novels depicted a bleak utopian future ruled by media technology. This was made all the more unique by the fact that Bradbury never drove a car. His most famous works are The Illustrated Man, Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles.
The family tree itself had one interesting skeleton in the cupboard. Bradbury’s ancestor was Mary Bradbury, who was tried as a witch during the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692. She was married to Massachusetts born Captain Thomas Bradbury.
The family tree itself had one interesting skeleton in the cupboard. Bradbury’s ancestor was Mary Bradbury, who was tried as a witch during the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692. She was married to Massachusetts born Captain Thomas Bradbury.
- 6/11/2012
- Shadowlocked
DVD Playhouse—April 2012
By Allen Gardner
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Warner Bros.) An eleven year-old boy (newcomer Thomas Horn, in an incredible debut) discovers a mysterious key amongst the possessions of his late father (Tom Hanks) who perished in 9/11. Determined to find the lock it matches, the boy embarks on a Picaresque odyssey across New York City. Director Stephen Daldry and screenwriter Eric Roth have fashioned a film both grand and intimate, beautifully-adapted from Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel, thought by most who read it to be unfilmable. Fine support from Jeffrey Wright, Sandra Bullock, John Goodman, Viola Davis and the great Max von Sydow. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Featurettes. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 5.1 surround.
Battle Royale: The Complete Collection (Anchor Bay) Adapted from Koushun Takami’s polarizing novel (compared by champions and detractors alike as a 21st century version of A Clockwork Orange) and set in a futuristic Japan,...
By Allen Gardner
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Warner Bros.) An eleven year-old boy (newcomer Thomas Horn, in an incredible debut) discovers a mysterious key amongst the possessions of his late father (Tom Hanks) who perished in 9/11. Determined to find the lock it matches, the boy embarks on a Picaresque odyssey across New York City. Director Stephen Daldry and screenwriter Eric Roth have fashioned a film both grand and intimate, beautifully-adapted from Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel, thought by most who read it to be unfilmable. Fine support from Jeffrey Wright, Sandra Bullock, John Goodman, Viola Davis and the great Max von Sydow. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Featurettes. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 5.1 surround.
Battle Royale: The Complete Collection (Anchor Bay) Adapted from Koushun Takami’s polarizing novel (compared by champions and detractors alike as a 21st century version of A Clockwork Orange) and set in a futuristic Japan,...
- 4/13/2012
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
"Dream death-match to be sure, but I just noticed Koji Wakamatsu is actually making a new film based on Mishima's life," wrote Sanjuro six months ago, sparking a discussion in the Forum. 11.25 Jiketsu no Hi: Mishima Yukio to Wakamonotachi, with Arata taking the lead and Terajima Shinobu (Caterpillar) playing Mishima's wife, "focuses on the events of November 25, 1970, when Mishima entered the Tokyo headquarters of the Japan Self-Defense Forces along with four members of his private militia, the Tatenokai," wrote Nicholas Vroman in May at Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow. "Seizing control of the commandant's office, Mishima delivered a rambling speech from the balcony hoping to inspire a coup d'etat. He then returned to the office and committed suicide." He also notes that Wakamatsu's been blogging throughout the production. And today, Wildgrounds has posted the first trailer (above).
"Eco Sci-Fi" is the theme of the October issue of Electric Sheep, featuring David Cairns...
"Eco Sci-Fi" is the theme of the October issue of Electric Sheep, featuring David Cairns...
- 10/24/2011
- MUBI
Varese Sarabande has announced the latest batch of titles in the Varese CD Club series, including four new soundtrack releases. First up is the world premiere release of the original soundtrack recording of Midway. The album features the original score by John Williams. For audio clips and to order the CD, visit Varese Sarabande’s website. The album is limited to 3000 copies. Midway directed by Jack Smight starred Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, James Coburn, Glenn Ford, Hal Holbrook, Toshiro Mifune, Robert Mitchum, Cliff Robertson and Robert Wagner. The title marked the last Williams score that has not received an official soundtrack release since Jaws.
Also being released by the label is a Deluxe Edition of the soundtrack for Guillermo Del Toro’s 1997 horror thriller Mimic. The album features the expanded score by Marco Beltrami including more than 30 minutes of previously unreleased music. To listen to audio clips of the limited edition CD,...
Also being released by the label is a Deluxe Edition of the soundtrack for Guillermo Del Toro’s 1997 horror thriller Mimic. The album features the expanded score by Marco Beltrami including more than 30 minutes of previously unreleased music. To listen to audio clips of the limited edition CD,...
- 10/10/2011
- by filmmusicreporter
- Film Music Reporter
When it comes to actresses, the movie business has always had an eye for beautiful faces. Unfortunately, it has often only been an afterthought as to whether or not that beautiful face could do anything other than be beautiful. Leaf through the archives of any of the movie glamour magazines from long ago and you’ll find them a cemetery of beautiful faces primped and hyped by the Hollywood PR machine to be The Next Great Thing. Some never made it past a screen test, while others managed to survive a few screen roles, but through lack of talent, charisma, the right roles — whatever mysterious magic it is that causes a performer to click with an audience — soon disappeared, never to be heard of again. It’s a long, looong casualty list of forgotten pretties like Merrilyn Grix, Eleanor Counts, Kathy Marlowe, Myrna Dell, Sandra Giles, Jean Colleran, Sunnie O’Dea,...
- 8/2/2011
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
In 1977, 20th Century Fox had two science-fiction adventure movies in the pipeline for release. The first was Star Wars, which came out in May with relatively low expectations and became an immediate, industry-changing sensation. The second was Damnation Alley, which Fox had originally thought would be its big year-end holiday blockbuster. Based on a well-regarded Roger Zelazny novel and directed by Airport 1975 and Midway helmer Jack Smight, Damnation Alley was intended to be a rousing post-apocalyptic actioner featuring mutated bugs, freaky marauders, and a badass armored vehicle—part Planet Of The Apes, part Them!, part On The Beach ...
- 7/20/2011
- avclub.com
Rank the week of July 12th’s Blu-ray and DVD new releases against the best films of all-time: New Releases Arthur
(DVD and Blu-ray | PG13 | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #5711
Times Ranked: 827
Win Percentage: 52%
Top-20 Rankings: 6
Directed By: Jason Winer
Starring: Russell Brand • Helen Mirren • Greta Gerwig • Jennifer Garner • Luis Guzman
Genres: Comedy • Farce
Rank This Movie
The Lincoln Lawyer
(DVD and Blu-ray | R | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #2807
Times Ranked: 1535
Win Percentage: 55%
Top-20 Rankings: 6
Directed By: Brad Furman
Starring: Matthew McConaughey • Marisa Tomei • Ryan Phillippe • William H. Macy • John Leguizamo
Genres: Drama • Psychological Thriller • Thriller
Rank This Movie
Rango
(DVD and Blu-ray | PG | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #595
Times Ranked: 5790
Win Percentage: 38%
Top-20 Rankings: 18
Directed By: Gore Verbinski
Starring: Johnny Depp • Isla Fisher • Abigail Breslin • Ned Beatty • Alfred Molina
Genres: Action • Adventure • Animation • Comedy • Family-Oriented Adventure • Family-Oriented Comedy • Western
Rank This Movie
Insidious
(DVD and Blu-ray | PG13 | 2010)
Flickchart Ranking: #3119
Times Ranked: 1785
Win Percentage: 52%
Top-20 Rankings: 6
Directed By: James Wan...
(DVD and Blu-ray | PG13 | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #5711
Times Ranked: 827
Win Percentage: 52%
Top-20 Rankings: 6
Directed By: Jason Winer
Starring: Russell Brand • Helen Mirren • Greta Gerwig • Jennifer Garner • Luis Guzman
Genres: Comedy • Farce
Rank This Movie
The Lincoln Lawyer
(DVD and Blu-ray | R | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #2807
Times Ranked: 1535
Win Percentage: 55%
Top-20 Rankings: 6
Directed By: Brad Furman
Starring: Matthew McConaughey • Marisa Tomei • Ryan Phillippe • William H. Macy • John Leguizamo
Genres: Drama • Psychological Thriller • Thriller
Rank This Movie
Rango
(DVD and Blu-ray | PG | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #595
Times Ranked: 5790
Win Percentage: 38%
Top-20 Rankings: 18
Directed By: Gore Verbinski
Starring: Johnny Depp • Isla Fisher • Abigail Breslin • Ned Beatty • Alfred Molina
Genres: Action • Adventure • Animation • Comedy • Family-Oriented Adventure • Family-Oriented Comedy • Western
Rank This Movie
Insidious
(DVD and Blu-ray | PG13 | 2010)
Flickchart Ranking: #3119
Times Ranked: 1785
Win Percentage: 52%
Top-20 Rankings: 6
Directed By: James Wan...
- 7/12/2011
- by Jonathan Hardesty
- Flickchart
Everett “Limelight” with Charlie Chaplin and Claire Bloom
Actress Claire Bloom achieved an amazing amount of success early in her career, winning acclaim for her portrayal of Ophelia in a production of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” in 1948 and finding screen stardom in 1952 opposite Charlie Chaplin in “Limelight.”
Tackling a wide variety of roles, Bloom has continued her work on stage and in film and television. On Tuesday night, she brought her 65 years of experience at New York’s Film Forum...
Actress Claire Bloom achieved an amazing amount of success early in her career, winning acclaim for her portrayal of Ophelia in a production of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” in 1948 and finding screen stardom in 1952 opposite Charlie Chaplin in “Limelight.”
Tackling a wide variety of roles, Bloom has continued her work on stage and in film and television. On Tuesday night, she brought her 65 years of experience at New York’s Film Forum...
- 5/25/2011
- by Kenji Fujishima
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Shout! Factory will release the 1977 futuristic science fiction adventure movie Damnation Alley on DVD and Blu-Ray for the first time ever on July 12.
Hop onto the Landmaster for post-apocalyptic adventure in Damnation Alley.
A guilty pleasure in its day that has since become a cult favorite, the film is set in the future two years after the Earth has been titled off its axis by the devastation caused by World War III. On a post-apocalyptic landscape saturated by radiation, two Air Force officers (Seventies mainstay Jan-Michael Vincent and George Peppard of TV’s The A-Team) and a pair of other survivors (Watchmen’s Jackie Earle Haley and Euro-starlet Dominique Sanda) set out across the barren, post-apocalyptic planet in a really cool “Landmaster” vehicle, which functions as a tank, a bus and a mobile home.
Directed by Jack Smight (Airport 1975) and filled with such end-of-the-world delights as giant scorpions and...
Hop onto the Landmaster for post-apocalyptic adventure in Damnation Alley.
A guilty pleasure in its day that has since become a cult favorite, the film is set in the future two years after the Earth has been titled off its axis by the devastation caused by World War III. On a post-apocalyptic landscape saturated by radiation, two Air Force officers (Seventies mainstay Jan-Michael Vincent and George Peppard of TV’s The A-Team) and a pair of other survivors (Watchmen’s Jackie Earle Haley and Euro-starlet Dominique Sanda) set out across the barren, post-apocalyptic planet in a really cool “Landmaster” vehicle, which functions as a tank, a bus and a mobile home.
Directed by Jack Smight (Airport 1975) and filled with such end-of-the-world delights as giant scorpions and...
- 4/14/2011
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
In 1970, one movie invented the modern disaster film. After grossing more than $100 million at the domestic box office (adjusted for inflation, it made more than any of the "Lord of the Rings"), it spawned three sequels that stretched through the entire decade. But this landmark series is now almost totally forgotten, long eclipsed by the film that so brilliantly spoofed the genre tropes it helped define. In honor of its 40th anniversary, we're looking back at the "Airport" franchise this week, one film at a time. Today, the first sequel, which is called "Airport 1975" even though it was released in 1974.
Airport 1975 (1974)
Directed by Jack Smight
Nature of Air Emergency: A pilot suffers a heart attack and loses control of his private plane, sending it into the path of Columbia Airlines Flight 409. The jet survives the collision, but the captain, co-pilot, and navigator are all killed or maimed.
Airport 1975 (1974)
Directed by Jack Smight
Nature of Air Emergency: A pilot suffers a heart attack and loses control of his private plane, sending it into the path of Columbia Airlines Flight 409. The jet survives the collision, but the captain, co-pilot, and navigator are all killed or maimed.
- 11/9/2010
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
Two marvelous episodes, both ultimately dealing with the theme of isolation and loneliness. Even more, one could almost start where the other ends, the climactic end-of-the-world as seen from a singular viewpoint melding into a view of a planet with only one inhabitant.
Season 1, Episode 7 – The Lonely
Originally aired on November 13, 1959
Written by: Rod Serling
Directed by: Jack Smight
"On a microscopic piece of sand that floats through space is a fragment of a man's life. Left to rust is the place he lived in and the machines he used. Without use, they will disintegrate from the wind and the sand and the years that act upon them; all of Mr. Corry's machines—including the one made in his image, kept alive by love, but now obsolete in the Twilight Zone."
Most fiction that deals with the idea of solitary confinement does so with the focus on the size and...
Season 1, Episode 7 – The Lonely
Originally aired on November 13, 1959
Written by: Rod Serling
Directed by: Jack Smight
"On a microscopic piece of sand that floats through space is a fragment of a man's life. Left to rust is the place he lived in and the machines he used. Without use, they will disintegrate from the wind and the sand and the years that act upon them; all of Mr. Corry's machines—including the one made in his image, kept alive by love, but now obsolete in the Twilight Zone."
Most fiction that deals with the idea of solitary confinement does so with the focus on the size and...
- 2/18/2010
- by Phil Ward
- JustPressPlay.net
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