11/30/09
Buster Keaton Montage
Although Charlie Chaplin had more depth in his art, as well more pathos, Buster Keaton was likely the more inventive filmmaker.
11/29/09
11/28/09
Moe Howard Interview (Part 1)
From the old Mike Douglas Show.
Not Michael Douglas, but Mike Douglas, who, along with Phil Donahue and Dinah Shore, was one of the big interview shows from the 1960s and 1970s.
Not Michael Douglas, but Mike Douglas, who, along with Phil Donahue and Dinah Shore, was one of the big interview shows from the 1960s and 1970s.
11/27/09
The Superstars
I saw a number of these losers in the 1980s. They often tried to make their own superstars with the Nuyorican crowd. The blind leading the blind was true.
11/26/09
M. Kalatozov's I AM CUBA (1964)
This is a stunning work, simply great. I had this DVD for a few years now and I just managed to watch it. I remember I was reading about Tarkovsky back then, who cited -more than once- a Russian cinematographer (Sergey Urusevsky) as a big influence on his visual style. In fact Tarkovsky made the first scene of his first major movie (the opening dream sequence in Ivan's Childhood) with Urusevsky in mind. This is the sequence
I Am Cuba was done in 1964 and was sponsored by both the Cuban and the Russian regimes, hence the fact it's a pro-Castro shouldn't be a surprise. The director M.Kalatozov and the cinematographer Urusevsky both did a successful work in 1957 (The Cranes Are Flying, I'm planning to watch next) and were chosen by the soviet regime to evoke moments similar to Eisenstein's Ivan The Terrible. I Am Cuba was hated by both Cubans and Russians for years, only to be restored some 30 years after by Scorsese and Coppola who loved it after seeing some scenes of it and decided to join effort to restore it.
The movie's narrative is simple: four simple independent stories from Cuba in the period of revolution, all stories connected by a narrative by a young female voice, Cuba. What puts this work on a separate level from any other Russian (or European) movie I've seen from the mid-60's is its stunning visuals. The cinematography is incredibly challenging: an uninterrupted scene starts from the top roof of a building and tracks random people (camera going through ground floors) only to end tracking a random young lady into a pool (under the water). According to the press notes, the filmmakers "had to make a watertight box out of sheets of Dupont plastic with three handles so the camera could be passed between Urusevsky and Calzatti [cameramen] at crucial moments. On the first take, the camera box refused to dive beneath the water surface, and Calzatti had to adapt the box with a hollow steel tube running through it so the air could escape the box, but no water would enter the camera."
The movie features another unforgettable scene (shot in extreme infra-red!!!) that features a burning field of sugar canes under a cloudy sky, the infra-red turned the flames into a "black" cloud that was contrasted with a gray/moody sky. Most of the camera work is hand-held yet has a great stability. A lot of tracking shots ascend many feet in the sky and descend abruptly in seconds (like Tarkovsky's shot).
another shot (NOT the actual sound track)
The best "story" is -in my opinion- the farmer's story, it had few dialogue and almost the whole story is told through superb visual sequences (reminded me of Malick's but replace the colors with dominant black shadows and gray light). The strength of the movie is that it is told visually.
Dan I highly recommend this experience, try to get it. It's the best movie I've seen since ages... reminded me (at least form-wise) of great visual moments of great directors (Tarr, Tarkovsky, Jancso, Angelopoulos, Malick).
Wassim
I Am Cuba was done in 1964 and was sponsored by both the Cuban and the Russian regimes, hence the fact it's a pro-Castro shouldn't be a surprise. The director M.Kalatozov and the cinematographer Urusevsky both did a successful work in 1957 (The Cranes Are Flying, I'm planning to watch next) and were chosen by the soviet regime to evoke moments similar to Eisenstein's Ivan The Terrible. I Am Cuba was hated by both Cubans and Russians for years, only to be restored some 30 years after by Scorsese and Coppola who loved it after seeing some scenes of it and decided to join effort to restore it.
The movie's narrative is simple: four simple independent stories from Cuba in the period of revolution, all stories connected by a narrative by a young female voice, Cuba. What puts this work on a separate level from any other Russian (or European) movie I've seen from the mid-60's is its stunning visuals. The cinematography is incredibly challenging: an uninterrupted scene starts from the top roof of a building and tracks random people (camera going through ground floors) only to end tracking a random young lady into a pool (under the water). According to the press notes, the filmmakers "had to make a watertight box out of sheets of Dupont plastic with three handles so the camera could be passed between Urusevsky and Calzatti [cameramen] at crucial moments. On the first take, the camera box refused to dive beneath the water surface, and Calzatti had to adapt the box with a hollow steel tube running through it so the air could escape the box, but no water would enter the camera."
The movie features another unforgettable scene (shot in extreme infra-red!!!) that features a burning field of sugar canes under a cloudy sky, the infra-red turned the flames into a "black" cloud that was contrasted with a gray/moody sky. Most of the camera work is hand-held yet has a great stability. A lot of tracking shots ascend many feet in the sky and descend abruptly in seconds (like Tarkovsky's shot).
another shot (NOT the actual sound track)
The best "story" is -in my opinion- the farmer's story, it had few dialogue and almost the whole story is told through superb visual sequences (reminded me of Malick's but replace the colors with dominant black shadows and gray light). The strength of the movie is that it is told visually.
Dan I highly recommend this experience, try to get it. It's the best movie I've seen since ages... reminded me (at least form-wise) of great visual moments of great directors (Tarr, Tarkovsky, Jancso, Angelopoulos, Malick).
Wassim
11/25/09
Andy Warhol
Warhol was not really a filmmaker, but his narcissism is almost always amusing IF focused on himself. Anything elses is deadly. This is himself.
11/24/09
Maya Deren
Recall seeing these films in the mid-1980s, when I hung in Manhattan with Nuyorican poet types. A bit more interesting than Warhol, but, art? Not really.
What do you think? Take a gander?
What do you think? Take a gander?
11/23/09
After Hours vs. The Hours.
Do you feel like having a Party with Marty in After Hours:
Or do you feel like whining with the Nose of Prose in The Hours:
If you feel like an existential humorous romp, choose the former, which I believe is one of Scorsese's most underrated classics.
Though if you feel like watching whiny lesbians bitch and moan while wearing fake noses and breaking down while wearing kitchen gloves, then choose... oh and don't forget Ed Harris jumping out the window, because that's what gay men with AIDS do. Ya know? Plus you'll get to hear Virginia Woolf, as played by Nicole Kidman, fart.
I think my choice is made.
Or do you feel like whining with the Nose of Prose in The Hours:
If you feel like an existential humorous romp, choose the former, which I believe is one of Scorsese's most underrated classics.
Though if you feel like watching whiny lesbians bitch and moan while wearing fake noses and breaking down while wearing kitchen gloves, then choose... oh and don't forget Ed Harris jumping out the window, because that's what gay men with AIDS do. Ya know? Plus you'll get to hear Virginia Woolf, as played by Nicole Kidman, fart.
I think my choice is made.
H. TESHIGAHARA: Woman in The Dunes (1964)
A few years ago I bought a 4-DVD set by the Criterion after I read an article on the Senses of Cinema website regarding him. They list a lot of overrated directors under their "great directors" section (Ozon, Haneke....) that's in addition to the universally overrated ones (Godard, Pasolini, ....); but Teshigahara is a director with an interesting vision and worth being listed there. He can't be listed as great maybe because he didn't do that many features movies, and most of his work was never released. In fact the Criterion 3-film set and the later released documentary (Gaudi) are the only decent DVDs out there. Later movies -supposedly good work- may be found on ebay or amazon but with universal reviews complaining about their horrible transfer quality.
Teshigahara was a Japanese designer, painter, and architect before he tried movie making. His most famous work is an adaptation of a Japanese novel, though the narrative and the setting has not that much to do with Japanese culture (unlike Ozu's): An entomologist (in the middle of an identity-crisis-like state) is trapped in a weird -almost surreal- place alone with a strange woman who uses him to shovel the sand that keeps drowning her house (from the surrounding dunes).
For me it was a nice surprise watching a great Japanese post-modern work that is at the level of the European work of Antonioni and Bergman of the same era. In the trailer notice the distinguished soundtrack (reminded me of Persona, Hour of The Wolf, En Passion....). His visual style is very similar to Antonioni's with attention to details and close-ups on objects but unlike Antonioni, the characters here are allowed to express themselves through inetersting monologues and dialogues.
I found this very interesting video essay on Youtube (also in Criterion)
I highly recommend exploring this movie, the best of the 3 films presented by Criterion.
Teshigahara was a Japanese designer, painter, and architect before he tried movie making. His most famous work is an adaptation of a Japanese novel, though the narrative and the setting has not that much to do with Japanese culture (unlike Ozu's): An entomologist (in the middle of an identity-crisis-like state) is trapped in a weird -almost surreal- place alone with a strange woman who uses him to shovel the sand that keeps drowning her house (from the surrounding dunes).
For me it was a nice surprise watching a great Japanese post-modern work that is at the level of the European work of Antonioni and Bergman of the same era. In the trailer notice the distinguished soundtrack (reminded me of Persona, Hour of The Wolf, En Passion....). His visual style is very similar to Antonioni's with attention to details and close-ups on objects but unlike Antonioni, the characters here are allowed to express themselves through inetersting monologues and dialogues.
I found this very interesting video essay on Youtube (also in Criterion)
I highly recommend exploring this movie, the best of the 3 films presented by Criterion.
11/22/09
Cecil B. DeMille
Mentioned this film director in my last post.
His most famous film is probably this Charlton Heston vehicle:
But, let's face it, DeMille's films were lightweight extravagant crap, from the silent film era on.
His most famous film is probably this Charlton Heston vehicle:
But, let's face it, DeMille's films were lightweight extravagant crap, from the silent film era on.
11/21/09
Sunset Boulevard
I recently got the DVD for this classic film. I first saw it in the mid or late 1970s, and have few memories of it, save for the cameo appearance by Buster Keaton in a single scene.
I probably saw it on a late night film series, like the Million Dollar Movie, and, in those days, had no real idea whether or not films were good or bad, just whether or not it held my interest. Other than the moment with the Great Stone Face, I recalled next to nothing of the film.
But, Billy Wilder films are always pretty good, if not particularly deep. My favorite film is the Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau film, The Fortune Cookie.
Gloria Swanson is a name I only recalled from a few dramatic silent films, but the truth is that most of the best silents were comedies. Thus, little of her earlier career sticks with me.
William Holden, as the male lead, of course, was one of the solid leading men of the 1950s. My favorite role of his was in The Bridge On The River Kwai.
Then there was Erich Von Stroheim, and I cannot recall seeing any of the silent films he directed, although he was interesting in Jean Renoir's Grand Illusion.
So, I look forward to rewatching this old film, and seeing how it stacks up to the film that beat it out for the Oscar in 1950, All About Eve. While Wilder was a pretty good screenwriter, Joe Mankiewicz was tops in that era.
11/19/09
The Upcoming Kiarostami's
"Certified Copy" is the upcoming brand new Kiarostami's. The first work he is doing outside Iran. This is by itself very interesting to observe, Kiarostami's movies were acted and done by amateurs and inexperienced techs under extreme Iranian restrictions. Now he is directing a few-million-dollar-budget movie with professional actors (like Juliette Binoche, one of Kieslowski's favorites) in Europe. The movie is supposed to be screened at Cannes.
The last movie of his that I watched and enjoyed was The Wind Will Carry Us, that approached a similar theme to his 1997's Taste of Cherry (Death). Both of them being very good (and near-great) works. The Wind will Carry Us follows a journalist (who looks like Kiarostami) visiting a distant village waiting for one of the oldest women in Iran who had fallen sick to die so he can have a scoop about it. Taste of Cherry is about a middle-aged man who -for no obvious reasons- decided to plan his suicide.
The last movie of his that I watched and enjoyed was The Wind Will Carry Us, that approached a similar theme to his 1997's Taste of Cherry (Death). Both of them being very good (and near-great) works. The Wind will Carry Us follows a journalist (who looks like Kiarostami) visiting a distant village waiting for one of the oldest women in Iran who had fallen sick to die so he can have a scoop about it. Taste of Cherry is about a middle-aged man who -for no obvious reasons- decided to plan his suicide.
Zeitgeist Films
For all of you guys who didn't have the chance to watch NB Ceylan's latest two works: the masterpiece Climates and the visually stunning Three Monkeys. They are both now being released as region-1 (US format) DVD by Zeitgeist Films. Climates was previously released by The New Yorker Video that went out of business around a year ago. The company was supposed to release Three Monkeys as well.
This is the Trailers for both movies:
I always enjoy reading Dan's review about these two works (see links above) but also the great review he wrote about Ceylan's Distant (I read it more than ten times and I enjoyed each reading).
This is the Trailers for both movies:
I always enjoy reading Dan's review about these two works (see links above) but also the great review he wrote about Ceylan's Distant (I read it more than ten times and I enjoyed each reading).
11/18/09
A Clockwork Orange.
Watched some features on A Clockwork Orange tonight. The book I remember enjoying quite a bit, esp. considering the book is written by an English author and is set in England. (I tend to dislike English lit personally--for their finger up the ass formalism but this one I enjoyed). Anthony Burgess' real name is actually John Burgess Wilson according to Wikipedia. But then again, it's only Wikipedia, and we know, given the editors there, how reliable a source that is.
Funny that he would prefer the name Anthony to John. Pen names are dumb, unless your name totally sucks, like if it were Jeb Butts or something, then I could see changing it.
Anyway, I always enjoyed the trailer:
And here is the great intro:
Funny that he would prefer the name Anthony to John. Pen names are dumb, unless your name totally sucks, like if it were Jeb Butts or something, then I could see changing it.
Anyway, I always enjoyed the trailer:
And here is the great intro:
Criterion's Repulsion
Got the Criterion release of Repulsion and will have to watch it soon. Here is the end of that film:
11/16/09
Current Mexican Cinema
I can't remember the last time I saw a good movie, for two reasons: I'm not watching movies that much (work and personal life), and the very few I'd watched are barely decent.
The last movie I saw was for a Mexican director: C. Reygadas. I became interested in Mexican cinema after seeing some works for young directors like Inarritu (Love's a Bitch, 21 grams, and Babel) and G. Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth). Both directors aren't superb but credit has to be given for they are miles ahead the current American blockbuster cinema. Between the two, Inarritu is the best... the last three works he did dance around one theme: absurdity of life (death) . Though this theme is over-consumed in European cinema (Kieslowski before, and recently Tykwer, Almodovar....) but the "Mexican" approach is worth checking.
The first, Amores Perros, lives of random people intersect around one car accident
The second, "21 grams": random lives change after a heart-transplant surgery...
The third, "Babel": four stories intersect after a tourist being accidentally shot by a kid
The three movies has a non-linear narrative that make them a bit more interesting, though the three works don't really go that high above a decent Hollywood movie (Babel and 21 g being better than his first work).
With Del Toro, though Pan's Labyrinth was a good movie, the rest of his work (like Hellboy) didn't go beyond video-games level.
Back to Reygadas, it's interesting how a lot of directors build a reputation by irritating audience, shocking people...etc yet with minimal (like M. Haneke) or absolutely nothing (like our Reygadas here) to say.
Battle in Heaven is the last movie I saw.... the movie was famous for its opening scene: an ugly fat middle-aged man being blown by a young naked pretty girl (no censure whatsoever), the camera pans around the couple (white background, no definite space or time) and then zooms in on the girl's teary eyes. The movie is a collection of scenes that almost don't move the narrative any where, with plenty of scenes contrasting fat ugly women and men with skinny beautiful ones (something the director seems to focus on). The movie is about a blue-collar couple trying to hide the fact that the kid they kidnapped died (with all the action occurring off-screen), the male after confessing to a young girl he knows, ends up killing her and escaping to a church.
Overall a major disappointing work, and the 43% on RT website seems too much.
The last movie I saw was for a Mexican director: C. Reygadas. I became interested in Mexican cinema after seeing some works for young directors like Inarritu (Love's a Bitch, 21 grams, and Babel) and G. Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth). Both directors aren't superb but credit has to be given for they are miles ahead the current American blockbuster cinema. Between the two, Inarritu is the best... the last three works he did dance around one theme: absurdity of life (death) . Though this theme is over-consumed in European cinema (Kieslowski before, and recently Tykwer, Almodovar....) but the "Mexican" approach is worth checking.
The first, Amores Perros, lives of random people intersect around one car accident
The second, "21 grams": random lives change after a heart-transplant surgery...
The third, "Babel": four stories intersect after a tourist being accidentally shot by a kid
The three movies has a non-linear narrative that make them a bit more interesting, though the three works don't really go that high above a decent Hollywood movie (Babel and 21 g being better than his first work).
With Del Toro, though Pan's Labyrinth was a good movie, the rest of his work (like Hellboy) didn't go beyond video-games level.
Back to Reygadas, it's interesting how a lot of directors build a reputation by irritating audience, shocking people...etc yet with minimal (like M. Haneke) or absolutely nothing (like our Reygadas here) to say.
Battle in Heaven is the last movie I saw.... the movie was famous for its opening scene: an ugly fat middle-aged man being blown by a young naked pretty girl (no censure whatsoever), the camera pans around the couple (white background, no definite space or time) and then zooms in on the girl's teary eyes. The movie is a collection of scenes that almost don't move the narrative any where, with plenty of scenes contrasting fat ugly women and men with skinny beautiful ones (something the director seems to focus on). The movie is about a blue-collar couple trying to hide the fact that the kid they kidnapped died (with all the action occurring off-screen), the male after confessing to a young girl he knows, ends up killing her and escaping to a church.
Overall a major disappointing work, and the 43% on RT website seems too much.
11/15/09
Faye Dunaway is the Better Looking Monica Vitti.
We were watching some special features about Faye Dunaway in the film Bonnie and Clyde and I was struck by how much Faye looks like Monica Vitti, only better looking. It's not that Monica is bad looking, but she has the Italian schnoz working against her, thus making her features very sharp. Faye has softer features and is a much better actress overall.
Bergman thought that Vitti had no talent as an actress, but I think she just didn't have a lot of range. All her characters are these dull, unemotive, passionless women and that's what she seemed to do best. I have a hard time imagining Monica Vitti shouting, "NO WIRE HANGERS...EVER!!!"
But they do look incredibly similar. Faye's face was more versatile, however, for she was able to pull off Joan Crawford and appear identical.
Faye:
Monica:
I like Monica, but Faye wins.
Bergman thought that Vitti had no talent as an actress, but I think she just didn't have a lot of range. All her characters are these dull, unemotive, passionless women and that's what she seemed to do best. I have a hard time imagining Monica Vitti shouting, "NO WIRE HANGERS...EVER!!!"
But they do look incredibly similar. Faye's face was more versatile, however, for she was able to pull off Joan Crawford and appear identical.
Faye:
Monica:I like Monica, but Faye wins.
11/13/09
Jacques Cousteau
Another great clip of What's My Line?
Note New York Yankees legend Phil Rizzuto on the panel.
I loved the Jacques Cousteau specials as a kid, and wrote a great poem on the man. Along with Marlin Perkins, he was one of my childhood heroes.
This is one of the rare clips that stumped the panel.
Note New York Yankees legend Phil Rizzuto on the panel.
I loved the Jacques Cousteau specials as a kid, and wrote a great poem on the man. Along with Marlin Perkins, he was one of my childhood heroes.
This is one of the rare clips that stumped the panel.
Mutual Of Omaha's Wild Kingdom
Saw some good nature documentaries recently, and it got me to thinking of some of the nature docs of my youth. This, of course, leads into Wild Kingdom, presented by Mutual Of Omaha Insurance Company.
I just loved Marlin perkins, the host. Biut it was always cool to see how he'd send his flunkies, Jim Fowler or Stan Brock out into the field to do the hard work, like wrestling an alligator, or the like.
Here are two intros from the 1960s:
I just loved Marlin perkins, the host. Biut it was always cool to see how he'd send his flunkies, Jim Fowler or Stan Brock out into the field to do the hard work, like wrestling an alligator, or the like.
Here are two intros from the 1960s:
11/12/09
Gertrud- Essay
Jonathan Rosenbaum waxes on Gertrud, by Carl Theodor Dreyer.
This essay compares the film to one I've not seen, so I cannot comment on the aptness of the comparison, but by omission, Rosenbaum opts out of actually having to comment in depth on the film. The sound is poor in this essay, which makes me think its creator merely got Rosenbaum, a well known film critic from Chicago, but one known for his masturbatory excesses in exegesis, seems to have literally 'phoned in' his comments, which were then appended to the essay willy-nilly.
Like many bad critics, Rosenbaum goes way off the beam into pseudo-Freudian analysis, rather than dealing with what is actually onscreen.
Overall, this is one of the worst videos in the Shooting Down Pictures series.
The Outlaw Josey Wales- Essay
A mid-1970s mediocrity from Clint Eastwood is dissected. I saw this film when it was first out, and it was a bore then, and is still a bore. Eastwood's acting, especially in this film, is painful.
Outside of the hands of a real director, like Sergio Leone, Eastwood's acting ability dwindles to cliches.
YUck!
Duel- Essay
On Spielberg's first tv film, a mediocrity ripped off from assorted 1950s tv shows like One Step Beyond and The Twilight Zone.
The World According To Garp- Essay
An interesting, if not good, video essay, in a series based upon people wanting to watch the Top 1000 films from the website They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? Years ago I wrote for that website, but about the only thing it's known for now is its compilation list of Best Of film lists.
The website, in terms of its visual appeal, has always been cluttered and has not been updated in years.
As for the essay, the commentary is pretty nondescript, and it focuses on a minor character, the transsexual played by John Lithgow. The commentarian claims to be a transsexual himself/herself, but nothing of any depth is said- not of transsexuality nor in terms of the filmic art.
The question then hangs in the air, what is the point of this essay? Especially since the commentarian says he/she has major problems with the films, other than the transsexual aspect, yet never gets to them
But, having not seen the film for a decade or so, it was interesting to see some of the scenes. The film was no great shakes, and this essay does nothing to elucidates its pros nor cons.
11/11/09
Bela Tarr Interview (Part 1)
This is culled from his last DVD, of The Man From London. Interesting stuff:
The Swarm
Another Irwin Allen gem, about the myth of killer bees that's been circulating for the last 40 years:
The Poseidon Adventure
Also produced by Irwin Allen, The Poseidon Adventure started the disaster film trend:
The Towering Inferno
Another staple of 1970s cinema was the disaster film, usually made by Irwin Allen:
Note O.J. Simpson in the cast.
Note O.J. Simpson in the cast.
11/10/09
11/9/09
Feature Films At Cinemension
* A History Of Sci-Fi Television
* Alphaville
* American Boy
* At The Circus
* Babes In Toyland
* Bluebeard
* Breathless
* Carnival Of Souls
* Chariots Of The Gods
* Charlie Chaplin Festival (The Immigrant, The Adventurer, The Cure, Easy Street)
* Crows, by Akira Kurosawa (from Dreams)
* Dementia 13
* Encounters At The End Of The World
* Faces Of Death
* First Spaceship On Venus
* Forbidden Planet
* Genghis Khan
* Godzilla's Revenge
* Horse Feathers
* Iphigenia
* It Has Begun
* Koyaanisquatsi
* La Jetee, by Chris Marker
* Lost Continent
* M
* Maya Deren Films
* Mothlight, by Stan Brakhage
* Night Of The Living Dead
* No Time For Sergeants
* One Week
* Plan 9 From Outer Space
* Planeta Burg/Voyage To The Prehistoric Planet/Voyage To The Planet Of Prehistoric Women
* Popeye The Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves
* Quatermass And The Pit (Five Million Years To Earth)
* Reefer Madness
* Robot Monster
* Samurai- Miyamoto Musashi Documentary
* Santa Claus Conquers The Martians
* Shadow Of A Doubt
* Shakespeare Behind Bars
* Stalin: Man Of Steel
* Stalker
* The Ape
* The Ascent
* The Beast Of Yucca Flats
* The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari
* The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser
* The Fog Of War
* The Haunted World Of Edward D. Wood, Jr.
* The Hoober-Bloob Highway
* The House On Haunted Hill
* The Last Man On Earth
* The Last Woman On Earth
* The Lost World
* The Many Faces Of Sherlock Holmes
* The Mark Of Zorro
* The Sad Flower
* The Three Stooges: Disorder In The Court & I'll Never Heil Again
* The War Game
* The Thing From Another World
* The Twilight Samurai
* Things To Come
* Throne Of Blood
* Vampyr
* Willard
* Alphaville
* American Boy
* At The Circus
* Babes In Toyland
* Bluebeard
* Breathless
* Carnival Of Souls
* Chariots Of The Gods
* Charlie Chaplin Festival (The Immigrant, The Adventurer, The Cure, Easy Street)
* Crows, by Akira Kurosawa (from Dreams)
* Dementia 13
* Encounters At The End Of The World
* Faces Of Death
* First Spaceship On Venus
* Forbidden Planet
* Genghis Khan
* Godzilla's Revenge
* Horse Feathers
* Iphigenia
* It Has Begun
* Koyaanisquatsi
* La Jetee, by Chris Marker
* Lost Continent
* M
* Maya Deren Films
* Mothlight, by Stan Brakhage
* Night Of The Living Dead
* No Time For Sergeants
* One Week
* Plan 9 From Outer Space
* Planeta Burg/Voyage To The Prehistoric Planet/Voyage To The Planet Of Prehistoric Women
* Popeye The Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves
* Quatermass And The Pit (Five Million Years To Earth)
* Reefer Madness
* Robot Monster
* Samurai- Miyamoto Musashi Documentary
* Santa Claus Conquers The Martians
* Shadow Of A Doubt
* Shakespeare Behind Bars
* Stalin: Man Of Steel
* Stalker
* The Ape
* The Ascent
* The Beast Of Yucca Flats
* The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari
* The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser
* The Fog Of War
* The Haunted World Of Edward D. Wood, Jr.
* The Hoober-Bloob Highway
* The House On Haunted Hill
* The Last Man On Earth
* The Last Woman On Earth
* The Lost World
* The Many Faces Of Sherlock Holmes
* The Mark Of Zorro
* The Sad Flower
* The Three Stooges: Disorder In The Court & I'll Never Heil Again
* The War Game
* The Thing From Another World
* The Twilight Samurai
* Things To Come
* Throne Of Blood
* Vampyr
* Willard
11/8/09
Bruce Lee Screen Test
Was not a big fan of martial arts films, but, of course, having grown up in the 1960s and 1970s, I could not help but see my share of martial arts films.
Naturally, this meant seeing the few Bruce Lee films that came out. Of course, Lee has lasted nearly 40 years after his death because he was more than a martial artist.
In looking about for old trailers, I came across this interesting tidbit, which shows off Lee as more than what was portrayed in his films.
This is a screen test for the 1965 television series The Green Hornet, wherein Lee was cast as the Green Hornet's sidekick, Kato.
Boss Nigger Theme Song
Classic Blaxploitation theme song from a film starring former NFL player Fred 'The Hammer' Williamson.
11/7/09
11/6/09
11/5/09
Sherlock Holmes Documentary
Interesting bits on the classic character's appearances on the silver screen.
Video essay on Jacques Tourneur
Interesting essay on the great B film auteur who worked with producer Val Lewton, and then struck out on his own.
1957's Night Of The Demon is one of the best horror films ever made, precisely because it lacks gore. The director was forced to show the demon when he wished not to.
The actual essay goes a bit off the deep end with its claims about writing's import in the film, but otherwise, it's a nice slant to get non-cineastes to possibly see this neglected film.
It's akin to someone thinking the main theme of Citizen Kane is childhood toys.
Tourneur's films always made the most from what little they were given.
I recommend it heratly, as I do other films made by Val Lewton.
Blaxploitation Films (Part 1)
A doc on films that were popular in my youth, and many of which I chilled to as a boy.
11/4/09
Russ Meyer Tribute (Part 2)
Apparently YouTube censored part 1 because of a nipple shot- unbelievable that this happens on the Internet. Anyway, parts 2-4 follow:
Russ Meyer
Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! is likely schlockmeister sex king Russ Meyer's most famous film, made in the year of my birth.
The trailer:
The trailer:
Faces Of Death
Speaking of Mondo Films, this film, Faces Of Death, is another classic shockumentary. Yes, many scenes are fake, and there are many versions of this film. It's been many years since I saw the original, so I'm not sure if this whole one is bowdlerized or not. Nonetheless, in skipping through it, it seems to be the original.
Enjoy:
Enjoy:
Mondo Cane (Part 1)
This famed Italian documentary was one that played in school auditoriums throughout the 1960s and 1970s. A classic for its 'realism,' it has not held up particularly well, although it is still interesting.
11/3/09
The Lost World (1925)
Harry Hoyt's 1925 silent film, The Lost World, was one of the first sci fi adventure type films made that featured dinosaurs.
Much of its plot was re-worked in King Kong, made a decade later. Taken from the story by Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, the tale is much the same.
A captured dinosaur- a Brontosaurus, is brought back to a big city (this time London) and havoc ensues. The beast escapes, and the man who captured it loses all- a future, money, and his love.
King Kong was not the only film to borrow this plot, but few films can be claimed to have started a genre in film.
The Lost World, while an important film, in the sense just mentioned, is not a great film, even by the more lax standards of the silent film form. But, it is a fun film, and because it is in the public domain, you can watch it all here, at Cinemension.
Much of its plot was re-worked in King Kong, made a decade later. Taken from the story by Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, the tale is much the same.
A captured dinosaur- a Brontosaurus, is brought back to a big city (this time London) and havoc ensues. The beast escapes, and the man who captured it loses all- a future, money, and his love.
King Kong was not the only film to borrow this plot, but few films can be claimed to have started a genre in film.
The Lost World, while an important film, in the sense just mentioned, is not a great film, even by the more lax standards of the silent film form. But, it is a fun film, and because it is in the public domain, you can watch it all here, at Cinemension.
11/2/09
The Fall of the House of Usher
Edgar Allan Poe, Roger Corman, Vincent Price. A trio of terror, and perfect together!
Corman's Fantastic Four
Weird that this film was never released. Could it really have been worse than the Jessica Alba film?
11/1/09
Jayne Mansfield
Better looking than Marilyn Monroe, but not quite up to Mamie Van Doren. Odd how the fame level increased as the sexual attractiveness decreased.
I loved this show, which was still on when I was a kid. Too bad that she was decapitated in death. Her end was even more gruesome than Marilyn's.
Gary Cooper
The man on What's My Line? (1959).
It's so cool to see these moments of relief from the Hollywood grind.
It's so cool to see these moments of relief from the Hollywood grind.
Bluebeard
Edgar Ulmer was a B film maker who cranked out some interesting films in the first half of the last century.
Bluebeard starred B film staple John Carradine, as the serial killer. Aside from fathering David Carradine, John was, after Vincent Price, probably the best B film actor going.
A bit silly, with alternating excellent and bad moments, including the self-conscious noting of the killer as Bluebeard, as if the killer was called that at the time.
Here's the film for free:
Bluebeard starred B film staple John Carradine, as the serial killer. Aside from fathering David Carradine, John was, after Vincent Price, probably the best B film actor going.
A bit silly, with alternating excellent and bad moments, including the self-conscious noting of the killer as Bluebeard, as if the killer was called that at the time.
Here's the film for free:
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