A treasure trove of Hollywood gold

February 15th, 2010 by michael

Tony Macklin, former editor of Film Heritage journal, has made available his tape recorder interviews from the 1970s, with everyone from Howard Hawks, Leigh Brackett, to Bloody Sam and Hitch himself.

They will make you cry. And laugh. And remember why you loved the movies in the first place.

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Immigration debates, a dysfunctional Senate, one man heroically trying to bring people together…

January 28th, 2010 by michael

The Fall Of The Roman Empire

A movie for our times.

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The junior Paul Simons

January 27th, 2010 by michael

Let them bite you.

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Whoever runs the CIA, runs the world

January 25th, 2010 by michael

The Very Best Men: The Daring Early Years of the CIA by Evan Thomas

Spies aren’t supposed to be enthusiastic idealists, brimming with optimism. Ah, but this is 1950’s America, when everything is possible…and no story ends as happy as it begins.

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Does Orson Welles have the creepiest smile in cinema?

January 3rd, 2010 by michael

Poor Joe, tired of writing pulps, he just wants a job.  But who can resist the Chesire cat–especially when he has the girl?

A fantastic release from Criterion, chock full of documentaries, including a 1968 BBC Omnibus programme on writer Graham Greene, who refuses to show his smile on camera.

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Brian De Palma made the same film twice in the late 1970s.

December 28th, 2009 by michael

Both have buckets of blood and are about girls with strange telekinetic powers, but Carrie [Blu-ray] speaks about what it is to grow up in the Darwinian world of female adolescence, while  The Fury lollygags it way through pure 70’s bioplasmic mumbo-jumbo to one of the great anatomical explosions of all time.

vs.

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My Top 3 Blockbusting Films

December 17th, 2009 by michael

From the book, George Lucas’s Blockbusting:

1. The French Connection, 1971.  Why? While trailing the crooks in cold, cold New York, Gene Hackman makes sure to get his daily nutrition of pizza.  A favorite scene in a film full of favorites.

2. Vertigo, 1958.  Why? Is Kim Novak real?  Or is she a phantasy?  One of the greatest romantic movies is also Hitchcock’s greatest horror film.

3. Double Indemnity, 1944.  Why? Dangerous liaisons in well-stocked grocery stores show just how little has changed since 1944.

For the rest of my selections, check out the official website!

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If we all just loved one another…

December 12th, 2009 by michael

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These Eyes…Aren’t Crying.

December 11th, 2009 by michael

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The Nutcracker from a high school far, far away…

December 9th, 2009 by michael
Portrait of Xim as a Young Pireate (with his Mouse) Portrait of a Young Pirate and his Mouse

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