Nineteen sixty-eight has to be considered the apex of psychedelic sexploitation romps, with the release of Candy, adapted from Mason Hoffenberg and Terry Southern’s satirical reworking of Voltaire’s Candide, and Roger Vadim’s Barbarella, based on Jean-Claude Forest’s comic, and partially scripted by Southern (alongside an armada of other credited writers). Both employ a rambling, shaggy-dog structure as an excuse to flagrantly foreground softcore sexual hijinks tinged with a pungent whiff of social commentary, albeit the latter aspect may be easier to discern in Candy’s perverse daisy chain of events.
Southern’s contributions to the Dino De Laurentiis-produced Barbarella can be detected in some of its wittier lines (“A good many dramatic situations begin with screaming!”) and sly pokes at the persistence of class-consciousness. Aside from Southern, the two films are linked by the presence of Anita Pallenberg, style icon and muse of the Rolling...
Southern’s contributions to the Dino De Laurentiis-produced Barbarella can be detected in some of its wittier lines (“A good many dramatic situations begin with screaming!”) and sly pokes at the persistence of class-consciousness. Aside from Southern, the two films are linked by the presence of Anita Pallenberg, style icon and muse of the Rolling...
- 11/21/2023
- by Budd Wilkins
- Slant Magazine
It was five decades ago long distance swimmer Diana Nyad became part of the cultural landscape with her feats including a recording-setting circling of Manhattan and a 102-mile swim from the Bahamas to Florida she accomplished that in 27 hours. In 1978, Nyad made her first attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida but ended the quest after 40 hours. After segueing to a successful career as a sports journalist on ABC’s “Wild World of Sports” for over two decades, she decided at 60 to try again. She made three attempts felled by asthma, muscle fatigue, jellyfish and a tropical storm.
Nyad’s attempts at the swim were the subject of the 2013 documentary “The Other Shore.” When I talked to her for the L.A. Times a decade ago the then 64-year-old was preparing for her final attempt. “When I first started this in my 20s and when I started again when I turned...
Nyad’s attempts at the swim were the subject of the 2013 documentary “The Other Shore.” When I talked to her for the L.A. Times a decade ago the then 64-year-old was preparing for her final attempt. “When I first started this in my 20s and when I started again when I turned...
- 11/11/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
The character of Flash Gordon has had a long and rich history in pop culture lasting almost 100 years. The first appearance of the space bound all-American hero was found in a science-fiction comic strip created in 1934 by illustrator Alex Raymond and writer Don Moore. Former Olympian and actor Buster Crabbe appeared as the character in the classic Universal serials that depicted Flash Gordon's clashes with Ming the Merciless on the planet Mongo. Fondly remembered for their air of wispy nostalgia, the "Flash Gordon" serials always ended on a cliffhanger. I remember one in particular where Flash is thrown down a dark hole with no chance of escape, only to be saved by the sudden deployment of a net in the first scene of the next episode.
That is to say, "Flash Gordon" was always a little ridiculous.
The Buster Crabbe serials have certainly left their mark on film history, but...
That is to say, "Flash Gordon" was always a little ridiculous.
The Buster Crabbe serials have certainly left their mark on film history, but...
- 12/25/2022
- by Drew Tinnin
- Slash Film
Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker might've been the protagonist of George Lucas' "Star Wars," but Harrison Ford was its breakout star as the charming interstellar rapscallion Han Solo. He would've broken out eight years earlier in Jacques Demy's "Model Shop," but the genius head of Columbia Pictures at the time believed Ford had "no future" as a film actor. Having finally kicked down the door at the age of 35, Ford was determined to not get pigeonholed as his generation's Flash Gordon à la Buster Crabbe. So before "Star Wars" hit theaters on May 22, 1977, the actor chased down a supporting role in a small, independently produced film.
The film was Jeremy Kagan's "Heroes," a quiet drama about a Vietnam veteran (Henry Winkler) who escapes a mental hospital in New York City and sets out on a quest to start a worm farm in Northern California. Winkler is joined by...
The film was Jeremy Kagan's "Heroes," a quiet drama about a Vietnam veteran (Henry Winkler) who escapes a mental hospital in New York City and sets out on a quest to start a worm farm in Northern California. Winkler is joined by...
- 12/3/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
George Clooney will executive produce a new television adaptation of “Buck Rogers” for Legendary, and it is Legendary’s intention for Clooney to star in the project, insiders with knowledge told TheWrap.
Grant Heslov will also executive produce the project alongside Clooney under their Smokehouse banner. “Transformers” producer Don Murphy and Susan Montford will produce via their Angry Films banner along with Flint Dille, the grandson of the original Buck Rogers creator. New York Times bestselling and award-winning comic book creator, television and film writer Brian K Vaughan has been tapped to write the television adaptation.
The project is based on the characters and concepts introduced in the 1928 novella “Armageddon 2419 A.D.” novella by Philip Francis Nowlan. The story followed “Anthony Rogers,” a mining engineer from the 20th century who awakens from suspended animation after 500 years to find himself in the middle of a planetary war.
Nowlan and Chicago newspaperman John F.
Grant Heslov will also executive produce the project alongside Clooney under their Smokehouse banner. “Transformers” producer Don Murphy and Susan Montford will produce via their Angry Films banner along with Flint Dille, the grandson of the original Buck Rogers creator. New York Times bestselling and award-winning comic book creator, television and film writer Brian K Vaughan has been tapped to write the television adaptation.
The project is based on the characters and concepts introduced in the 1928 novella “Armageddon 2419 A.D.” novella by Philip Francis Nowlan. The story followed “Anthony Rogers,” a mining engineer from the 20th century who awakens from suspended animation after 500 years to find himself in the middle of a planetary war.
Nowlan and Chicago newspaperman John F.
- 1/28/2021
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
New York Times bestselling and award-winning comic book creator, television and film writer Brian K Vaughan has been tapped to write the television adaptation of “Buck Rogers” for Legendary. The deal falls under Legendary’s overall pact with Vaughan.
“Transformers” producer Don Murphy and Susan Montford will produce via their Angry Films banner along with Flint Dille, the grandson of the original Buck Rogers creator.
The project is based on the “Armageddon 2419 A.D.” novella by Philip Francis Nowlan that introduced the Buck Rogers character in 1928. The story centers on a coal mine inspector who awakens from suspended animation after 500 years to find himself in the middle of a planetary war.
“Buck Rogers” has been adapted into various comic strips, a movie serial, radio and television shows. Developed by Chicago newspaperman John F. Dille in the 1930s, it immediately became one of the world’s most popular comic strips, read...
“Transformers” producer Don Murphy and Susan Montford will produce via their Angry Films banner along with Flint Dille, the grandson of the original Buck Rogers creator.
The project is based on the “Armageddon 2419 A.D.” novella by Philip Francis Nowlan that introduced the Buck Rogers character in 1928. The story centers on a coal mine inspector who awakens from suspended animation after 500 years to find himself in the middle of a planetary war.
“Buck Rogers” has been adapted into various comic strips, a movie serial, radio and television shows. Developed by Chicago newspaperman John F. Dille in the 1930s, it immediately became one of the world’s most popular comic strips, read...
- 12/10/2020
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Legendary is in the final stages of putting together a deal for the movie rights to swashbuckling sci-fi hero Buck Rogers, multiple individuals with knowledge of the project tell TheWrap.
“Transformers” producer Don Murphy set up the project at Legendary and is producing through his Angry Films banner along with Susan Montford.
The project is based on the “Armageddon 2419 A.D.” novella by Philip Francis Nowlan that introduced the Buck Rogers character in 1928. The story centers on a coal mine inspector who awakens from suspended animation after 500 years to find himself in the middle of a planetary war.
Armageddon 2419 A.D.
“Buck Rogers” has been adapted into various comic strips, a movie serial, radio and television shows. Developed by Chicago newspaperman John F. Dille in the 1930s, it immediately became one of the world’s most popular comic strips, read by millions daily in the newspapers all over the world.
“Transformers” producer Don Murphy set up the project at Legendary and is producing through his Angry Films banner along with Susan Montford.
The project is based on the “Armageddon 2419 A.D.” novella by Philip Francis Nowlan that introduced the Buck Rogers character in 1928. The story centers on a coal mine inspector who awakens from suspended animation after 500 years to find himself in the middle of a planetary war.
Armageddon 2419 A.D.
“Buck Rogers” has been adapted into various comic strips, a movie serial, radio and television shows. Developed by Chicago newspaperman John F. Dille in the 1930s, it immediately became one of the world’s most popular comic strips, read by millions daily in the newspapers all over the world.
- 10/14/2020
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Top notch action director William Witney brings together Audie Murphy and a vivid supporting cast of B-movie stars including Buster Crabbe and Gloria Talbott. Murphy plays a former Quantrill’s Raider seeking redemption in his search for the kidnapped daughter of a Yaqui Indian chief. Thanks to an empathetic script, Native Americans are treated with all due respect.
And here are three interviews with Mr. Witney:
Serial Days at Republic, “2 Directors No Waiting”
Working With Trigger
Serial Days at Republic- Working with Herbert J Yates
The post Arizona Raiders appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
And here are three interviews with Mr. Witney:
Serial Days at Republic, “2 Directors No Waiting”
Working With Trigger
Serial Days at Republic- Working with Herbert J Yates
The post Arizona Raiders appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 5/25/2020
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Hollywood Vampires: The Birth of Midnight Movies on L.A.'s Sunset Strip is a three-part series of essays by Tim Concannon.Praising Arizona: Louis K. Sher Vs. The Censor, The Case Of Les Amants"Whenever I hear the word cinema, I can't help thinking hall rather than film."—Roland Barthes.1kiva. noun. An underground or partly underground chamber in a Pueblo village, used for ceremonies or councils. Origin: Hopi. Old Town Boutique Shops, Scottsdale Main Street in 2011. Site of the former Kiva Theatre, which closed in 1993.Arguably, before El Topo played at the Elgin in New York's West Village in 1971, and before trans performance troupe the Cockettes performed their Nocturnal Dream Shows for film director, impresario, and protégé of Salvador Dalí, Stephen F. Arnold, at the Pagoda Palace Theatre on San Francisco's Russian Hill, midnight movies began at a theatre adjoining Santa Monica Boulevard, where the Underground Cinema 12 film...
- 8/2/2019
- MUBI
To get everyone in the mood for his ninth film, director and cult film guru Quentin Tarantino has something special in mind for the Sony Movie Channel. From the 5th of August Tarantino’s ‘Swinging Sixties-a-Movie Marathon’ will showcase nine films which perfectly set the tone for Once Upon a Time …in Hollywood, which comes out in cinemas on the 14th of August.
Each of these films has been specially curated, having influenced the director’s new film, and will play individually or as double features. As always with the director, there are some surprises here. In amongst ’60s classics Easy Rider and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice are secret agent specials, violent Westerns and a little bit of love in all its complicated forms. In short – it’s a masterclass in movie mood – just the thing to dive into before you take a trip back to the...
Each of these films has been specially curated, having influenced the director’s new film, and will play individually or as double features. As always with the director, there are some surprises here. In amongst ’60s classics Easy Rider and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice are secret agent specials, violent Westerns and a little bit of love in all its complicated forms. In short – it’s a masterclass in movie mood – just the thing to dive into before you take a trip back to the...
- 7/17/2019
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
“Thor: Ragnarok” director Taika Waititi has signed onto “Flash Gordon,” as an animated feature film project from Disney-Fox. It is not known yet whether he will write, direct, or both. Deadline first broke the news.
Waititi is currently in post-production on his sure-to-be-controversial Adolf Hitler satire “Jojo Rabbit,” adapted from the novel by Christine Leunens. The story follows a Hitler youth who discovers his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic, prompting him to address his nationalistic ideals through his friendship with an imaginary Hitler, played by Waititi. Starring Thomasin McKenzie, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell and Rebel Wilson, the Fox Searchlight dark comedy hits theaters on October 18.
Last fall, Deadline reported that Fox had hired “Overlord” director Julius Avery to write and direct a “Flash Gordon” movie, after having previously negotiated in 2015 with “Kingsman” director Matthew Vaughn. That was before the Disney-Fox merger, however, and the project now...
Waititi is currently in post-production on his sure-to-be-controversial Adolf Hitler satire “Jojo Rabbit,” adapted from the novel by Christine Leunens. The story follows a Hitler youth who discovers his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic, prompting him to address his nationalistic ideals through his friendship with an imaginary Hitler, played by Waititi. Starring Thomasin McKenzie, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell and Rebel Wilson, the Fox Searchlight dark comedy hits theaters on October 18.
Last fall, Deadline reported that Fox had hired “Overlord” director Julius Avery to write and direct a “Flash Gordon” movie, after having previously negotiated in 2015 with “Kingsman” director Matthew Vaughn. That was before the Disney-Fox merger, however, and the project now...
- 6/24/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Fox/Disney has attached Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi to “crack” Flash Gordon, as an animated feature film.
I had heard that the inventive filmmaker Waititi was signing on to write and direct, but his camp indicates it’s too early to gauge exactly what his role would be. The director is in post on Jojo Rabbit, his scripted adaptation of the Christine Leunens novel, a satire in which a young boy in Hitler’s army discovers that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl from the Nazis. Despite the ruthless nationalism in the air, the youth is torn and one of this voices guiding him is his idiot imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler — Waititi plays him.
Waititi recently extricated himself from another animated film, Bubbles, the Netflix stop motion project. Even though the film went in a $20 million package after ferocious bidding during the 2017 Cannes market for a Black List script by Isaac Adamson,...
I had heard that the inventive filmmaker Waititi was signing on to write and direct, but his camp indicates it’s too early to gauge exactly what his role would be. The director is in post on Jojo Rabbit, his scripted adaptation of the Christine Leunens novel, a satire in which a young boy in Hitler’s army discovers that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl from the Nazis. Despite the ruthless nationalism in the air, the youth is torn and one of this voices guiding him is his idiot imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler — Waititi plays him.
Waititi recently extricated himself from another animated film, Bubbles, the Netflix stop motion project. Even though the film went in a $20 million package after ferocious bidding during the 2017 Cannes market for a Black List script by Isaac Adamson,...
- 6/24/2019
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Fox has hired “Overlord” director Julius Avery to write and direct a “Flash Gordon” movie.
The studio had been in negotiations in 2015 with “Kingsman” director Matthew Vaughn to helm “Flash Gordon.” Vaughn will now produce with John Davis and Hearst Entertainment & Syndication Group.
Fox senior vice president Matt Reilly is overseeing “Flash Gordon” for the studio. C.J. Kettler is overseeing for Hearst.
Flash Gordon originated in 1934 as a science-fiction comic strip created by and originally drawn by Alex Raymond to compete with the Buck Rogers strip. The story opened with Earth threatened by a collision with the planet Mongo and Flash’s friend Dr. Zarkov inventing a rocket ship in an attempt to stop the disaster. The comic strip led to a serial starring Buster Crabbe and multiple movies and television series.
Avery is an Australian director who made his debut on A24’s “Son of a Gun,” which led...
The studio had been in negotiations in 2015 with “Kingsman” director Matthew Vaughn to helm “Flash Gordon.” Vaughn will now produce with John Davis and Hearst Entertainment & Syndication Group.
Fox senior vice president Matt Reilly is overseeing “Flash Gordon” for the studio. C.J. Kettler is overseeing for Hearst.
Flash Gordon originated in 1934 as a science-fiction comic strip created by and originally drawn by Alex Raymond to compete with the Buck Rogers strip. The story opened with Earth threatened by a collision with the planet Mongo and Flash’s friend Dr. Zarkov inventing a rocket ship in an attempt to stop the disaster. The comic strip led to a serial starring Buster Crabbe and multiple movies and television series.
Avery is an Australian director who made his debut on A24’s “Son of a Gun,” which led...
- 10/30/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: As Paramount ramps up for the November 9 release of his horror film Overlord, Julius Avery has been set by Fox to write and direct Flash Gordon. This is the potential tent pole that once had Matthew Vaughn circling to direct. Vaughn will instead produce the film with John Davis and Hearst, whose head of film is C.J. Kettler.
Avery is an Australian director who made his debut on the Alicia Vikander-Ewan McGregor-starrer Son Of A Gun, and he made Overlord for Paramount and J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot. The film premiered at Fantastic Fest, and has been scaring up good reviews with the horror cognoscenti so far, scoring a 93 on Rottentomatoes.com as it gears up for a November 9 release. Avery grew up in Australia loving the Flash Gordon comic. He pitched his take and the studio and studio sparked to it and set him.
Flash Gordon...
Avery is an Australian director who made his debut on the Alicia Vikander-Ewan McGregor-starrer Son Of A Gun, and he made Overlord for Paramount and J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot. The film premiered at Fantastic Fest, and has been scaring up good reviews with the horror cognoscenti so far, scoring a 93 on Rottentomatoes.com as it gears up for a November 9 release. Avery grew up in Australia loving the Flash Gordon comic. He pitched his take and the studio and studio sparked to it and set him.
Flash Gordon...
- 10/30/2018
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Flash Gordon is flying again.
Julius Avery, the filmmaker behind Paramount and Bad Robot's upcoming World War II zombie project Overlord, is in talks to write and direct a Flash Gordon movie for Fox, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Artist Alex Raymond introduced Flash Gordon in 1934 as a hero who ends up on the planet Mongo fighting the tyrant ruler Ming the Merciless. The comic book strip also featured characters such as Dale Arden and mad scientist Hans Zasrkov, and went on to spawn serials starring Buster Crabbe and a 1980 movie featuring a Queen soundtrack. It also influenced George ...
Julius Avery, the filmmaker behind Paramount and Bad Robot's upcoming World War II zombie project Overlord, is in talks to write and direct a Flash Gordon movie for Fox, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Artist Alex Raymond introduced Flash Gordon in 1934 as a hero who ends up on the planet Mongo fighting the tyrant ruler Ming the Merciless. The comic book strip also featured characters such as Dale Arden and mad scientist Hans Zasrkov, and went on to spawn serials starring Buster Crabbe and a 1980 movie featuring a Queen soundtrack. It also influenced George ...
- 10/30/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Flash Gordon is flying again.
Julius Avery, the filmmaker behind Paramount and Bad Robot's upcoming World War II zombie project Overlord, is in talks to write and direct a Flash Gordon movie for Fox, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Artist Alex Raymond introduced Flash Gordon in 1934 as a hero who ends up on the planet Mongo fighting the tyrant ruler Ming the Merciless. The comic book strip also featured characters such as Dale Arden and mad scientist Hans Zasrkov, and went on to spawn serials starring Buster Crabbe and a 1980 movie featuring a Queen soundtrack. It also influenced George ...
Julius Avery, the filmmaker behind Paramount and Bad Robot's upcoming World War II zombie project Overlord, is in talks to write and direct a Flash Gordon movie for Fox, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Artist Alex Raymond introduced Flash Gordon in 1934 as a hero who ends up on the planet Mongo fighting the tyrant ruler Ming the Merciless. The comic book strip also featured characters such as Dale Arden and mad scientist Hans Zasrkov, and went on to spawn serials starring Buster Crabbe and a 1980 movie featuring a Queen soundtrack. It also influenced George ...
- 10/30/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“And On The Eighth Day Bava Created Color.” That’s my sentiment with every new quality restoration of a Mario Bava picture. This amazing new disc of Il Maestro’s teeth-clenched Viking epic delivers stunning action scenes and eye-bending widescreen fantasy visuals. Arrow’s Blu-ray is spiked with a new Tim Lucas commentary.
Erik the Conqueror
Blu-ray + DVD
Arrow Video USA
1961 / Color / 2:35 widescreen (Dyaliscope) / 90 min. / Street Date August 29, 2017 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Cameron Mitchell, Alice & Ellen Kessler, George Ardisson, Andrea Checchi, Françoise Christophe, Raf Baldassarre, Joe Robinson, Folco Lulli.
Cinematography: Mario Bava, Ubaldo Terzano
Film Editor: Mario Serandrei
Original Music: Roberto Nicolosi
Written by Oreste Biancoli, Mario Bava
Produced by Ferruccio De Martino
Directed by Mario Bava
Far too good to be slammed as a mere imitation of Richard Fleischer’s The Vikings, Mario Bava’s exciting Erik the Conqueror is one of the best of the Italian-made...
Erik the Conqueror
Blu-ray + DVD
Arrow Video USA
1961 / Color / 2:35 widescreen (Dyaliscope) / 90 min. / Street Date August 29, 2017 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Cameron Mitchell, Alice & Ellen Kessler, George Ardisson, Andrea Checchi, Françoise Christophe, Raf Baldassarre, Joe Robinson, Folco Lulli.
Cinematography: Mario Bava, Ubaldo Terzano
Film Editor: Mario Serandrei
Original Music: Roberto Nicolosi
Written by Oreste Biancoli, Mario Bava
Produced by Ferruccio De Martino
Directed by Mario Bava
Far too good to be slammed as a mere imitation of Richard Fleischer’s The Vikings, Mario Bava’s exciting Erik the Conqueror is one of the best of the Italian-made...
- 9/19/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
A happy discovery! This is a major late- silent-era gem on the order of Von Sternberg’s Docks of New York — a special treat that will please fans of director William Wellman — he revisited parts of it in a later talkie. It’s also a key movie in our education/adoration of the maverick actress Louise Brooks, the erotic sensation too hot and too independent for Hollywood.
Beggars of Life
Blu-ray
Kino Classics
1928 / B&W / 1:33 Silent Aperture / 81 min. / Street Date August 22, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Wallace Beery, Richard Arlen, Louise Brooks, Blue Washington, Roscoe Karns, Robert Perry, Guinn ‘Bog Boy’ Williams.
Cinematography: Henry Gerrard
Film Editor: Alyson Shaffer
Assistant Director: Charles Barton
Music: The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
Written by Jim Tully and Benjamin Glazer from a novel by Jim Tully
Produced by Jesse L. Lasky, Adolph Zukor, William A. Wellman
Directed by William A. Wellman
Director...
Beggars of Life
Blu-ray
Kino Classics
1928 / B&W / 1:33 Silent Aperture / 81 min. / Street Date August 22, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Wallace Beery, Richard Arlen, Louise Brooks, Blue Washington, Roscoe Karns, Robert Perry, Guinn ‘Bog Boy’ Williams.
Cinematography: Henry Gerrard
Film Editor: Alyson Shaffer
Assistant Director: Charles Barton
Music: The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
Written by Jim Tully and Benjamin Glazer from a novel by Jim Tully
Produced by Jesse L. Lasky, Adolph Zukor, William A. Wellman
Directed by William A. Wellman
Director...
- 8/8/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
By Hank Reineke
The blending of two disparate but popular film genres – in this case, the horror/sci-fi film with the saddle opera - was hardly new when The Valley of Gwangi hit the big screen in 1969. This film’s most identifiable predecessor, one pitting cowboys against a prehistoric monster, might be The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956), but truth be told Hollywood had been combining these two genres almost from the very beginning. In the 1930s and ‘40s, audiences thrilled to the ghostly monochrome exploits of such western serial heroes as Ken Maynard, Buffalo Bill Cody, and Buster Crabbe with such films as Tombstone Canyon (1932), The Vanishing Riders (1935), and Wild Horse Phantom (1944). Universal’s Curse of the Undead (1959) was a later but no less interesting experiment for Hollywood’s preeminent fright factory. The studio removed the vampire from the usual atmospheric Gothic trappings of old Europe and dropped him onto the sagebrush plain.
The blending of two disparate but popular film genres – in this case, the horror/sci-fi film with the saddle opera - was hardly new when The Valley of Gwangi hit the big screen in 1969. This film’s most identifiable predecessor, one pitting cowboys against a prehistoric monster, might be The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956), but truth be told Hollywood had been combining these two genres almost from the very beginning. In the 1930s and ‘40s, audiences thrilled to the ghostly monochrome exploits of such western serial heroes as Ken Maynard, Buffalo Bill Cody, and Buster Crabbe with such films as Tombstone Canyon (1932), The Vanishing Riders (1935), and Wild Horse Phantom (1944). Universal’s Curse of the Undead (1959) was a later but no less interesting experiment for Hollywood’s preeminent fright factory. The studio removed the vampire from the usual atmospheric Gothic trappings of old Europe and dropped him onto the sagebrush plain.
- 5/15/2017
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
On this day in history as it relates to the movies...
1859 Billy the Kid, future legendary outlaw, is born. He's been played in movies and TV by actors like Buster Crabbe, Hugh O'Brian, Paul Newman, Clu Galager, Val Kilmer, and perhaps most famously by Kris Kristofferson, BAFTA nominated for Pat Garret and Billy the Kid (1973)
1887 Boris Karloff, villainous movie icon (Frankenstein, The Mask of Fu Manchu, Scarface, etcetera) is born
1888 Harpo Marx is born...
1859 Billy the Kid, future legendary outlaw, is born. He's been played in movies and TV by actors like Buster Crabbe, Hugh O'Brian, Paul Newman, Clu Galager, Val Kilmer, and perhaps most famously by Kris Kristofferson, BAFTA nominated for Pat Garret and Billy the Kid (1973)
1887 Boris Karloff, villainous movie icon (Frankenstein, The Mask of Fu Manchu, Scarface, etcetera) is born
1888 Harpo Marx is born...
- 11/23/2016
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
On this day in history as it relates to showbiz...
1040 King Duncan is killed in battle and King Macbeth succeeds him. Shakespeare fictionalizes everything later for Macbeth. So many theatrical productions and movies follow. Out damn spot!
1932 The 1932 Summer Olympics end. This is the Olympic year when gorgeous Buster Crabbe became a gold medalist (pictured left). Hollywood then snatched him right up for movie serials and action adventure franchises including Tarzan The Fearless
1945 Japan surrenders during Ww II (the six year war will last only two more weeks.) but movie makers all over the world have never stopped telling the war's infinite stories. On that same day Steve Martin is born in Waco Texas. It only takes him another 68 years to get the Oscar he totally deserved
1946 Two actor birthdays: Blacksploitation actor Antonio Fargas who became "Huggybear" on TV's popular Starksy & Hutch and Susan Saint James TV of McMillan & Wife...
1040 King Duncan is killed in battle and King Macbeth succeeds him. Shakespeare fictionalizes everything later for Macbeth. So many theatrical productions and movies follow. Out damn spot!
1932 The 1932 Summer Olympics end. This is the Olympic year when gorgeous Buster Crabbe became a gold medalist (pictured left). Hollywood then snatched him right up for movie serials and action adventure franchises including Tarzan The Fearless
1945 Japan surrenders during Ww II (the six year war will last only two more weeks.) but movie makers all over the world have never stopped telling the war's infinite stories. On that same day Steve Martin is born in Waco Texas. It only takes him another 68 years to get the Oscar he totally deserved
1946 Two actor birthdays: Blacksploitation actor Antonio Fargas who became "Huggybear" on TV's popular Starksy & Hutch and Susan Saint James TV of McMillan & Wife...
- 8/14/2016
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
As we approach the release of The Legend of Tarzan (2016) we're ogling past screen incarnations of the Lord of the Apes...
After Buster Crabbe filled a loincloth beautifully and Johnny Weissmuller & Maureen O'Sullivan gave us the deservedly definitive Golden Age Tarzan and Jane, the franchise had to recast or close shop. O'Sullivan left first and by the late 40s Weissmuller was feeling too old for the role and also called it quits. The producer Sol Lesser wasn't about to let the profitable franchise go, though, and led a search for a replacement. The winner was Lex Barker, a then little known blue blood actor from New York who had been disowned by his family for choosing an acting career (!) and he took up the loincloth in 1949 for Tarzan's Magic Fountain.
I opted to watch Barker's third go at the character in Tarzan's Peril (sometimes called Tarzan and the Jungle Queen...
After Buster Crabbe filled a loincloth beautifully and Johnny Weissmuller & Maureen O'Sullivan gave us the deservedly definitive Golden Age Tarzan and Jane, the franchise had to recast or close shop. O'Sullivan left first and by the late 40s Weissmuller was feeling too old for the role and also called it quits. The producer Sol Lesser wasn't about to let the profitable franchise go, though, and led a search for a replacement. The winner was Lex Barker, a then little known blue blood actor from New York who had been disowned by his family for choosing an acting career (!) and he took up the loincloth in 1949 for Tarzan's Magic Fountain.
I opted to watch Barker's third go at the character in Tarzan's Peril (sometimes called Tarzan and the Jungle Queen...
- 5/30/2016
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
It's that time again to look back on the month that was. We're doing a little early to pretend that May is already over. T'was a difficult month for your host with writer's block that wouldn't quit (which is not a common malady at Tfe HQ) but we thank you for your enthusiasms about all we do here. Here's a look back on key posts this month in case you missed any...
6 Personal Favs
Buster Crabbe's Loincloth on Tarzan the Fearless (1933)
Podcast: Truth or Dare a seminal text on celebrity culture. And...
Interview Jose's chat with the dancers from that same Madonna doc
Thelma & Louise relay revisit of one of the all time best flicks
10 Bad Girl Oscar Winners -Kieran's list from Marylee Hadley to Nurse Ratched
Maddening Matte Painting - Daniel on Black Narcissus (1947)
7 That Sparked Most Conversation
Best Actress an overdue narrative or fresh blood this year?...
6 Personal Favs
Buster Crabbe's Loincloth on Tarzan the Fearless (1933)
Podcast: Truth or Dare a seminal text on celebrity culture. And...
Interview Jose's chat with the dancers from that same Madonna doc
Thelma & Louise relay revisit of one of the all time best flicks
10 Bad Girl Oscar Winners -Kieran's list from Marylee Hadley to Nurse Ratched
Maddening Matte Painting - Daniel on Black Narcissus (1947)
7 That Sparked Most Conversation
Best Actress an overdue narrative or fresh blood this year?...
- 5/28/2016
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
one of many erotic moments in Tarzan the Ape Man (1932)New Miniseries! As we approach the release of The Legend of Tarzan (2016) we'll be ogling past screen incarnations of the Lord of the Apes each weekend like we're going to an old timey matinee.
We began by staring hard at Buster Crabbe's loincloth so as to avoid the acting and plotting. For chapter 2 we're moving to the main event: Johnny Weissmuller. He's the actor most often associated with the the Lord of the Apes since he played it 12 times and because he played it so well. There's a genuine guileness and in the moment feeling to his work that lets the ape man read more simple and pure than stupid, despite all the broken English. A few seasons ago on a weakly attended episode of 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot' we marvelled at how erotic the pre-code Tarzan the Ape Man...
We began by staring hard at Buster Crabbe's loincloth so as to avoid the acting and plotting. For chapter 2 we're moving to the main event: Johnny Weissmuller. He's the actor most often associated with the the Lord of the Apes since he played it 12 times and because he played it so well. There's a genuine guileness and in the moment feeling to his work that lets the ape man read more simple and pure than stupid, despite all the broken English. A few seasons ago on a weakly attended episode of 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot' we marvelled at how erotic the pre-code Tarzan the Ape Man...
- 5/21/2016
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
New Miniseries! As we approach the release of The Legend of Tarzan (2016) we'll be ogling past screen incarnations of the Lord of the Apes each weekend like we're going to an old timey matinee.
We begin with Buster Crabbe as Tarzan the Fearless (1933) who looks much better in this movie than implied on the poster which imagines him from maxi-challenge workroom outtakes from RuPaul's Drag Race. Blend, man, blend!
This next image is more flattering I promise...
We begin with Buster Crabbe as Tarzan the Fearless (1933) who looks much better in this movie than implied on the poster which imagines him from maxi-challenge workroom outtakes from RuPaul's Drag Race. Blend, man, blend!
This next image is more flattering I promise...
- 5/8/2016
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
As Google reminds us today is the anniversary of the very first Olympic games way back in 1896. What better time than now then for a beauty break featuring actors (this is the Film Experience after all) with Olympic history. Know this going in: Hollywood was Obsessed with swimmers for a long time.
Let's kick it off with the original Flash Gordon Buster Crabbe. Here are eight Olympic Beauties with acting careers after the jump...
Let's kick it off with the original Flash Gordon Buster Crabbe. Here are eight Olympic Beauties with acting careers after the jump...
- 4/6/2016
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
People have been arguing the “who was comics’ first costumed hero” question for decades. Some feel it was Mandrake the Magician, by Lee Falk and Phil Davis (1934), others cite the truly obscure Red Knight created by John Welch and Jack McGuire, and still others prefer to credit E.C. Segar’s Popeye (1929). But I think it’s safe to say that most comics fans and scholars bestow that honor upon The Phantom, created by Lee Falk and Ray Moore 80 years ago this past week.
Neither Mandrake nor Popeye are “costumed heroes.” They perform their feats of daring in their regular work clothes. Whereas the Red Knight got his start in 1934 as a guy named Bullet Benton, he did not don the Red Knight costume and, therefore, the costumed hero persona until April of 1940. I suspect somebody at the Register and Tribune Syndicate took a gander at the McClure Syndicate’s success with Superman.
Neither Mandrake nor Popeye are “costumed heroes.” They perform their feats of daring in their regular work clothes. Whereas the Red Knight got his start in 1934 as a guy named Bullet Benton, he did not don the Red Knight costume and, therefore, the costumed hero persona until April of 1940. I suspect somebody at the Register and Tribune Syndicate took a gander at the McClure Syndicate’s success with Superman.
- 2/24/2016
- by Mike Gold
- Comicmix.com
Constance Cummings: Actress in minor Hollywood movies became major London stage star. Constance Cummings: Actress went from Harold Lloyd and Frank Capra to Noël Coward and Eugene O'Neill Actress Constance Cummings, whose career spanned more than six decades on stage, in films, and on television in both the U.S. and the U.K., died ten years ago on Nov. 23. Unlike other Broadway imports such as Ann Harding, Katharine Hepburn, Miriam Hopkins, and Claudette Colbert, the pretty, elegant Cummings – who could have been turned into a less edgy Constance Bennett had she landed at Rko or Paramount instead of Columbia – never became a Hollywood star. In fact, her most acclaimed work, whether in films or – more frequently – on stage, was almost invariably found in British productions. That's most likely why the name Constance Cummings – despite the DVD availability of several of her best-received performances – is all but forgotten.
- 11/4/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
In honor of Halloween, I once again have a special essay-article up, and this time I can name the contributor. Randall William Cook rates special celebrity status around DVD Savant despite being a friend from way, way back. I hope he's writing a book about his career, because his Hollywood experiences range far afield, from UCLA film school, to acting and directing film and TV, to doing special make-ups, animation direction, front-rank stop motion direction, and second unit direction on big features. Heavily into digital work since the 1990s, Randy supervised character animation and sequence direction for the three Lord of the Rings movies, netting him an amazing three Oscars, three years straight. And he's still the same guy from college -- a new Harryhausen or Welles disc comes out, and he wants to know all about it. Oh, and Cook is a fine writer as well -- as I think this thoughtful piece shows.
- 10/23/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Following the success of X-Men: First Class and Kingsman: The Secret Service, Matthew Vaughn is in negotiations to direct Fox's Flash Gordon movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film, based on the Alex Raymond 1930s sci-fi comic strip of the same name (which inspired Star Wars), has already seen a few iterations on film: It was first turned into a three-part film serial, starring Buster Crabbe as the the famous space explorer, in the '30s and, in 1980, was brought to the silver screen again (this time soundtracked by Queen) with Sam J. Jones in the title role. The comic strip follows Flash, his love interest Dale Arden, and scientist Hans Zarkov, who travel to the planet Mongo to fight its ruler, Ming the Merciless.
- 4/15/2015
- by Dee Lockett
- Vulture
Matthew Vaughn is the frontrunner to direct a new Flash Gordon movie.
20th Century Fox is developing a big-screen revival of the science fiction comic strip, which has been adapted many times for the screen since the 1930s.
Vaughn is now in formal talks with the studio to bring a new version of Flash Gordon to life, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The revival is being written by science fiction scribes John D Payne and Patrick McKay.
Vaughn is riding high off the success of his blockbuster spy movie Kingsman: The Secret Service, which has been tipped for a sequel from 20th Century Fox.
He has also previously directed the big screen hits X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass, and is producing the Fantastic Four reboot.
Flash Gordon's film history began with a series of Buster Crabbe serials in the 1930s, and much later spawned a 1980 revival starring Sam J Jones,...
20th Century Fox is developing a big-screen revival of the science fiction comic strip, which has been adapted many times for the screen since the 1930s.
Vaughn is now in formal talks with the studio to bring a new version of Flash Gordon to life, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The revival is being written by science fiction scribes John D Payne and Patrick McKay.
Vaughn is riding high off the success of his blockbuster spy movie Kingsman: The Secret Service, which has been tipped for a sequel from 20th Century Fox.
He has also previously directed the big screen hits X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass, and is producing the Fantastic Four reboot.
Flash Gordon's film history began with a series of Buster Crabbe serials in the 1930s, and much later spawned a 1980 revival starring Sam J Jones,...
- 4/15/2015
- Digital Spy
Last week, I taunted you with visions of ancient superhero movies – serials, as they were called back then. Today we’d call them really low-budget webcasts. Here’s a few more worthy of your consideration, and this time we’re delving into a trio of iconic heroes from the pulps and newspaper strips – and now, of course, comic books.
The Shadow is the best-known of all the classic pulp heroes, and for a very good reason: many of the more than 300 stories published were quite good. Walter B. Gibson created something magical – a series with a lead character who had plenty of secrets but no secret identity, aided and abetted by a slew of agents who had no idea who their master was. The character’s popularity was enhanced massively by a highly successful radio series, one that gave The Shadow an alter-ego and a female companion and took away most of his agents.
The Shadow is the best-known of all the classic pulp heroes, and for a very good reason: many of the more than 300 stories published were quite good. Walter B. Gibson created something magical – a series with a lead character who had plenty of secrets but no secret identity, aided and abetted by a slew of agents who had no idea who their master was. The character’s popularity was enhanced massively by a highly successful radio series, one that gave The Shadow an alter-ego and a female companion and took away most of his agents.
- 11/26/2014
- by Mike Gold
- Comicmix.com
Mike Cecchini Nov 5, 2019
Whether it's coincidence or by design, Interstellar contains a number of parallels to Superman and the Man of Steel legend.
While Christopher Nolan departed the DC Extended Universe after lending his name to Man of Steel, his memory smolders on. There are those among us who still wonder what the Superman franchise would have looked with Nolan in the director’s chair. As unlikely as that is, there are still plenty of parallels with elements of the Superman legend on display in Interstellar.
Some of this is probably a result of the film’s other overt Judeo-Christian overtones, to which the Superman mythos already have their fair share of similarities, whether Old or New Testament. And while there are plenty of religious themes and Biblical parallels in Interstellar, we're here to look at this from a more Kryptonian point of view.
At the heart of Interstellar is...
Whether it's coincidence or by design, Interstellar contains a number of parallels to Superman and the Man of Steel legend.
While Christopher Nolan departed the DC Extended Universe after lending his name to Man of Steel, his memory smolders on. There are those among us who still wonder what the Superman franchise would have looked with Nolan in the director’s chair. As unlikely as that is, there are still plenty of parallels with elements of the Superman legend on display in Interstellar.
Some of this is probably a result of the film’s other overt Judeo-Christian overtones, to which the Superman mythos already have their fair share of similarities, whether Old or New Testament. And while there are plenty of religious themes and Biblical parallels in Interstellar, we're here to look at this from a more Kryptonian point of view.
At the heart of Interstellar is...
- 11/17/2014
- Den of Geek
Tony Sokol Sep 26, 2019
"Science Fiction Double Feature" from The Rocky Horror Picture Show references lots of movies. We unpack it all...
I have watched, well, not exactly watched, but experienced The Rocky Horror Picture Show over 100 times. I’ve only watched it about 30 times. I saw it in the movies and on HBO about five times before I couldn’t take it anymore and troweled makeup on, ripped up some fishnet stockings and took to a stage myself. Figured I was a natch, had the same hair as Tim Curry and did his voice in a passable mimic, not that I'd need it.
I performed in a Friday night cast 72 times from when I was 15 to when I was 17. I started as Dr. Frank N. Furter and when I was replaced by a woman in lingerie, as opposed to a guy in drag, I played Janet for a while. The...
"Science Fiction Double Feature" from The Rocky Horror Picture Show references lots of movies. We unpack it all...
I have watched, well, not exactly watched, but experienced The Rocky Horror Picture Show over 100 times. I’ve only watched it about 30 times. I saw it in the movies and on HBO about five times before I couldn’t take it anymore and troweled makeup on, ripped up some fishnet stockings and took to a stage myself. Figured I was a natch, had the same hair as Tim Curry and did his voice in a passable mimic, not that I'd need it.
I performed in a Friday night cast 72 times from when I was 15 to when I was 17. I started as Dr. Frank N. Furter and when I was replaced by a woman in lingerie, as opposed to a guy in drag, I played Janet for a while. The...
- 11/6/2013
- Den of Geek
Last week my colleague Ms. Thomases and I were sharing a movie experience at a Manhattan multi-mega-complex. Running the gauntlet of promotional material we passed the familiar poster advertising the franchise-saving event, Man of Steel. Once we were settled in the theater and the obnoxiously repulsive commercials started playing – most were for television shows – I mentioned to Martha that the new management of Warner Bros. hasn’t truly green-lit the Justice League movie. “They’re waiting to see how Man of Steel works out.”
Her Oh-Oh Sense flared up. While both of us were hoping for a killer Superman flick, nothing we have seen thus far has promoted any sense of confidence. Do we need another origin story filled with the Els and the Kents? Most of us have cable teevee or DVDs or streaming video or all three, and there’s plenty of filmed presentations of that origin story.
Her Oh-Oh Sense flared up. While both of us were hoping for a killer Superman flick, nothing we have seen thus far has promoted any sense of confidence. Do we need another origin story filled with the Els and the Kents? Most of us have cable teevee or DVDs or streaming video or all three, and there’s plenty of filmed presentations of that origin story.
- 2/6/2013
- by Mike Gold
- Comicmix.com
Feature Ryan Lambie Jan 25, 2013
Does an image tweeted by director Brad Bird hint at the true identity of his 1952 sci-fi project?
Inspiration for movies can come from all sorts of places - books, videogames, magazine articles, and even internet memes (see Safety Not Guaranteed). Brad Bird's enigmatic work-in-progress - currently going under the working title 1952 - takes its inspiration from an extremely unusual source: a box of stuff opened up at Disney's offices in Burbank, California.
Other than this snippet of information, the only things we've learned about 1952 are as follows: that it's a science fiction movie with a Close Encounters sense of Spielbergian wonder, that George Clooney's name is attached to it, and that Jeff Jensen (stuntman, actor, and writer) and Damon Lindelof are working on its script.
The dearth of facts about Brad Bird's film have led to all sorts of speculation - most notably,...
Does an image tweeted by director Brad Bird hint at the true identity of his 1952 sci-fi project?
Inspiration for movies can come from all sorts of places - books, videogames, magazine articles, and even internet memes (see Safety Not Guaranteed). Brad Bird's enigmatic work-in-progress - currently going under the working title 1952 - takes its inspiration from an extremely unusual source: a box of stuff opened up at Disney's offices in Burbank, California.
Other than this snippet of information, the only things we've learned about 1952 are as follows: that it's a science fiction movie with a Close Encounters sense of Spielbergian wonder, that George Clooney's name is attached to it, and that Jeff Jensen (stuntman, actor, and writer) and Damon Lindelof are working on its script.
The dearth of facts about Brad Bird's film have led to all sorts of speculation - most notably,...
- 1/24/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
A Filmic Notion on The Red Shoes "...a film that 'could be' my all time favourite"
Awards Circuit on the breakthrough performers of 2012
Pajiba 15 pop culture moments that made us cry in 2012
Boy Culture continues their countdown of hottest actors of all time (#50-21) ranging from Buster Crabbe, to Tyrone Power through Christian Bale in this edition. But I've just been informed that Takeshi Kaneshiro is not on the list at all so someone will have to explain this word "hotness" to me!
Antagony & Ecstasy Tim shares his ten best of the year: Magic Mike, Oslo August 31st, Tabu and more... I wish I liked Oslo a bit more than I do but I'm thrilled that so many critics I like are suddenly enthused about Joachim Trier because I don't remember having much company when I was all "ohmygodeveryone Reprise !!!" a few years back.
Media Decoder on footing your own Oscar campaign.
Awards Circuit on the breakthrough performers of 2012
Pajiba 15 pop culture moments that made us cry in 2012
Boy Culture continues their countdown of hottest actors of all time (#50-21) ranging from Buster Crabbe, to Tyrone Power through Christian Bale in this edition. But I've just been informed that Takeshi Kaneshiro is not on the list at all so someone will have to explain this word "hotness" to me!
Antagony & Ecstasy Tim shares his ten best of the year: Magic Mike, Oslo August 31st, Tabu and more... I wish I liked Oslo a bit more than I do but I'm thrilled that so many critics I like are suddenly enthused about Joachim Trier because I don't remember having much company when I was all "ohmygodeveryone Reprise !!!" a few years back.
Media Decoder on footing your own Oscar campaign.
- 1/2/2013
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
"Harry Potter" director David Yates will helm "Tarzan" for Warner Bros. The potential franchise is based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' series of classic books about the Earl of Greystoke's adventures as a "white ape" in equatorial Africa. It's 100 years since the first book, "Tarzan of the Apes," was published. Burroughs also originated the John Carter of Mars series, which recently met with big budget disaster. Tarzan was far more globally well-known via some 89 Hollywood incarnations, from Buster Crabbe and Johnny Weismuller through Christopher Lambert. So far rumors have Yates meeting with Henry Cavill, Charlie Hunnam and Alexander Skarsgård for the titular role, while Warners is also eyeing Tom Hardy. Cavill stars as Superman in Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel," out next June, while Hunnam stars in Guillermo del Toro's epic aliens vs. robots film "Pacific Rim," set for July. Skarsgård,...
- 11/8/2012
- by Sophia Savage
- Thompson on Hollywood
For years now Island Of Lost Souls has been DVD’s most glaring omission from the Golden Age of Horror. It won the Rondo Award several times for Film Most in Need of DVD Released or Restoration , but last October, classic horror fans rejoiced when Criterion finally released the film. They were not disappointed and this year, not surprisingly, Island Of Lost Souls won the Rondo for Best Classic DVD.
Island Of Lost Souls (1932), the first adaption of H.G.Well’s 1896 novel The Island of Dr. Moreau was one several shocking horror films from the early 30′s that helped advance the enforcement of the Hays Code, Hollywood’s self-censoring rules deeming “no picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it.”. It wasn’t Island Of Lost Souls’s radical scenes of horror (like Freaks) or the deviant sexuality (like the Frederick March version of Dr.
Island Of Lost Souls (1932), the first adaption of H.G.Well’s 1896 novel The Island of Dr. Moreau was one several shocking horror films from the early 30′s that helped advance the enforcement of the Hays Code, Hollywood’s self-censoring rules deeming “no picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it.”. It wasn’t Island Of Lost Souls’s radical scenes of horror (like Freaks) or the deviant sexuality (like the Frederick March version of Dr.
- 8/28/2012
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
"Special From Next Avenue"
By Leah Rozen
Hollywood has long carried an Olympic torch for the Games and their charismatic champions
Before he wore a loincloth as Tarzan and yodeled while swinging across movie screens on a vine, Johnny Weissmuller was an Olympic swimming champ.
The strapping Weissmuller -- 6-foot-5, 190 pounds -- power-splashed his way to five gold medals in the 1924 and ‘28 Olympic Games. Recognizing a marketable hunk when it saw one, Hollywood snapped him up.
"It was like stealing," Weissmuller (1904-1984) once said of his Tarzan career, which included a dozen films between 1932 and ‘48. "There was swimming in it, and I didn't have much to say. How can a guy climb trees, say ‘Me Tarzan, you Jane,’ and make a million?"
I was a sucker for Weismuller’s Tarzan films -- as a kid, I used to watch the scratchy prints that repeatedly aired on Saturday afternoon TV.
In fact,...
By Leah Rozen
Hollywood has long carried an Olympic torch for the Games and their charismatic champions
Before he wore a loincloth as Tarzan and yodeled while swinging across movie screens on a vine, Johnny Weissmuller was an Olympic swimming champ.
The strapping Weissmuller -- 6-foot-5, 190 pounds -- power-splashed his way to five gold medals in the 1924 and ‘28 Olympic Games. Recognizing a marketable hunk when it saw one, Hollywood snapped him up.
"It was like stealing," Weissmuller (1904-1984) once said of his Tarzan career, which included a dozen films between 1932 and ‘48. "There was swimming in it, and I didn't have much to say. How can a guy climb trees, say ‘Me Tarzan, you Jane,’ and make a million?"
I was a sucker for Weismuller’s Tarzan films -- as a kid, I used to watch the scratchy prints that repeatedly aired on Saturday afternoon TV.
In fact,...
- 7/29/2012
- by Kristen Stenerson
- Huffington Post
We each saw The Avengers at fan-filled midnight screenings, separately but equally. We tried to avoid any spoilers here, but we can’t guarantee we hit that mark. And, being who we are, there are a couple of teasers in this dialog.
Mike: Did you see it in 2-D, 3-D, or IMAX?
Glenn: 3-D.
Mike: Me too. This was the first movie ever that I can recommend in 3-D.
Glenn: Which is amazing, considering it was upsampled to 3-D. The film was converted to 3-D during post-production for the theatrical release. But it certainly paid off.
Mike: The 3-D imaging credits were as long as the Manhattan phone book.
Glenn: Someone asked me point blank if The Avengers is the greatest superhero movie of all time. I said I don’t know about that, it has some very tough competition. But hands down, it’s the greatest superhero battle movie of all time.
Mike: Did you see it in 2-D, 3-D, or IMAX?
Glenn: 3-D.
Mike: Me too. This was the first movie ever that I can recommend in 3-D.
Glenn: Which is amazing, considering it was upsampled to 3-D. The film was converted to 3-D during post-production for the theatrical release. But it certainly paid off.
Mike: The 3-D imaging credits were as long as the Manhattan phone book.
Glenn: Someone asked me point blank if The Avengers is the greatest superhero movie of all time. I said I don’t know about that, it has some very tough competition. But hands down, it’s the greatest superhero battle movie of all time.
- 5/4/2012
- by Mike Gold
- Comicmix.com
Kellan Lutz Lands Tarzan 3D Role
Kellan Lutz will be swinging into action in his first major role away from the Twilight franchise after signing on to play Tarzan in a new 3D movie.
The actor made his name playing vampire Emmett Cullen in the hit bloodsucking film series, which is set to end later this year, and he will be back in action as the latest incarnation of the jungle-dwelling hero.
Actress Spencer Locke will play Tarzan's love interest Jane in the movie, which will be shot in 3D using performance-capture technology.
Elmo Lincoln, Johnny Weissmuller and Buster Crabbe have all previously played the vine-swinging hunk on the big screen.
The actor made his name playing vampire Emmett Cullen in the hit bloodsucking film series, which is set to end later this year, and he will be back in action as the latest incarnation of the jungle-dwelling hero.
Actress Spencer Locke will play Tarzan's love interest Jane in the movie, which will be shot in 3D using performance-capture technology.
Elmo Lincoln, Johnny Weissmuller and Buster Crabbe have all previously played the vine-swinging hunk on the big screen.
- 5/4/2012
- WENN
Whether they’re male or female, old or young, they’ve illuminated some classic movies. Here’s our top 50 list of sci-fi heroes and heroines…
On the face of it, compiling a list of truly great sci-fi protagonists should be easy. Pick a load of familiar names from a hat, write some breathlessly adoring drivel beneath them, and head off to the pub to reward a job well done.
Except it was never going to be as simple as that – and compiling lists seldom is. For every character making an appearance in the list below, there were at least two other possible candidates who didn't quite make the cut. Some sci-fi heroes were removed, then quickly reinstated. The order was jiggled around, then reordered again.
At one point, your humble writer realised there were more than 50 entries, and then had the unenviable task of hunting back through to decide which poor soul to eliminate.
On the face of it, compiling a list of truly great sci-fi protagonists should be easy. Pick a load of familiar names from a hat, write some breathlessly adoring drivel beneath them, and head off to the pub to reward a job well done.
Except it was never going to be as simple as that – and compiling lists seldom is. For every character making an appearance in the list below, there were at least two other possible candidates who didn't quite make the cut. Some sci-fi heroes were removed, then quickly reinstated. The order was jiggled around, then reordered again.
At one point, your humble writer realised there were more than 50 entries, and then had the unenviable task of hunting back through to decide which poor soul to eliminate.
- 4/19/2012
- Den of Geek
It's conventional wisdom among most old "Star Wars" fans that George Lucas should have quit while he was ahead.
"Star Wars," "Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" were everything we needed, while the prequel trilogy was obviously a childhood-ruining space abomination.
Or was it?
Turns out, the younger generation of fans doesn't see it that way at all — last year's poll on the best "Star Wars" movie ever turned up surprising results.
We asked our resident Fanboy to explain Millennials' loyalty to "Phantom Menace," etc. So he wrote us a short one-act play.
Obviously.
Ext. The Inky Blackness Of Space. Night. (Or Maybe It's Day, It's Hard To Tell In The Inky Blackness Of Space.)
Yellow lettering approaches us on a slant. It reads.
Planet Fanboy: Episode VI – Rerelease of the Prequels. It is a time of great confusion for adult nerds. 'Star Wars' films are in theaters,...
"Star Wars," "Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" were everything we needed, while the prequel trilogy was obviously a childhood-ruining space abomination.
Or was it?
Turns out, the younger generation of fans doesn't see it that way at all — last year's poll on the best "Star Wars" movie ever turned up surprising results.
We asked our resident Fanboy to explain Millennials' loyalty to "Phantom Menace," etc. So he wrote us a short one-act play.
Obviously.
Ext. The Inky Blackness Of Space. Night. (Or Maybe It's Day, It's Hard To Tell In The Inky Blackness Of Space.)
Yellow lettering approaches us on a slant. It reads.
Planet Fanboy: Episode VI – Rerelease of the Prequels. It is a time of great confusion for adult nerds. 'Star Wars' films are in theaters,...
- 2/9/2012
- by Jordan Hoffman
- NextMovie
When Harry Knowles, the Grand Mufti of movie bloggers, has a birthday party he does it up big. It starts with the Internet's most die-hard cinemaniacs filling out an elaborate application for a coveted, assigned seat at Austin's Alamo Drafthouse Theater, and ends with intense film junkie bragging rights.
The event, appropriately called Butt-Numb-a-Thon, is a (more than) 24-hour movie marathon mixing hard-to-find vintage prints and first looks at forthcoming films. In years past, attendees have had sneak peeks at movies like "King Kong", "Kick-Ass" and "Hobo With A Shotgun", as well rare opportunities to see flicks like Disney's "Song of the South" or Orson Welles' "Chimes at Midnight."
This year, after a Friday night kick-off party at an elaborate pinball arcade, the lucky few exchanged tips on how long to wait until drinking coffee (everyone has their own theory) and tried to guess the line-up. This was my second Bnat,...
The event, appropriately called Butt-Numb-a-Thon, is a (more than) 24-hour movie marathon mixing hard-to-find vintage prints and first looks at forthcoming films. In years past, attendees have had sneak peeks at movies like "King Kong", "Kick-Ass" and "Hobo With A Shotgun", as well rare opportunities to see flicks like Disney's "Song of the South" or Orson Welles' "Chimes at Midnight."
This year, after a Friday night kick-off party at an elaborate pinball arcade, the lucky few exchanged tips on how long to wait until drinking coffee (everyone has their own theory) and tried to guess the line-up. This was my second Bnat,...
- 12/12/2011
- by IFC
- ifc.com
It’s happening as I sit here typing, on a Thursday, about 30 miles due south of the village where I happily abide, and, barring as always the unforeseen, I’ll be in the midst of it sometime tomorrow, mingling with armies of strangers, gazing at exhibits both exotic and banal, almost certainly meeting folks I have known for decades but seldom see whelmed by noise and flashing lights and color and celebrities and hucksters and the breath of chaos…
I refer, of course, to the New York Comic Con. (You thought I meant Armageddon? Naw… but maybe next week…) This is the younger, but extremely vigorous sibling of the monstrous (in at least two meanings of the word) San Diego Comic Con, but it is no wimpy little brother. Like Athena, springing from the head of Zeus, the Nycc arrived burly and mature, though a bit disorganized, three years ago...
I refer, of course, to the New York Comic Con. (You thought I meant Armageddon? Naw… but maybe next week…) This is the younger, but extremely vigorous sibling of the monstrous (in at least two meanings of the word) San Diego Comic Con, but it is no wimpy little brother. Like Athena, springing from the head of Zeus, the Nycc arrived burly and mature, though a bit disorganized, three years ago...
- 10/20/2011
- by Dennis O'Neil
- Comicmix.com
Hello and welcome to the inaugurial edition of Ask the Movies Editor. This is a chance for you, the common man, the flotsam and jetsam of the Internet, to have an audience with me, Jordan Hoffman, an award-winning film producer and internationally respected cineaste. I know, I can hardly believe it myself.
We invite you to send questions about any movie-related topic, be it past, present or future, either by putting it up on our Facebook Wall, hitting me over Twitter or by doing it the way your grandparents would, by sending me an email at jordan@ugo.com.
This being our first go, I have no questions to which I can respond, but I imagine there are many of you thinking quite a bit about The Avengers and what went down at D23. It is, therefore, not much of a stretch to imagine an alternate reality where Ask the...
We invite you to send questions about any movie-related topic, be it past, present or future, either by putting it up on our Facebook Wall, hitting me over Twitter or by doing it the way your grandparents would, by sending me an email at jordan@ugo.com.
This being our first go, I have no questions to which I can respond, but I imagine there are many of you thinking quite a bit about The Avengers and what went down at D23. It is, therefore, not much of a stretch to imagine an alternate reality where Ask the...
- 8/22/2011
- UGO Movies
Rudolph Valentino, Agnes Ayres in George Melford's The Sheik Long before they became Hollywood's favorite terrorists, Arabs were generally portrayed as lusty, uncouth, infantile beings in myriad Hollywood movies. Turner Classic Movies returns this month with their annual "Race & Hollywood" film series. The "race" this time around: Arabs. Frank Lloyd's long but generally entertaining 1924 epic The Sea Hawk is almost over. TCM has shown this one before a few times; long-thought lost, The Sea Hawk was restored about a decade ago. Popular leading man Milton Sills stars. Next are two silents starring movie idols of the 1920s: The Thief of Bagdad (1924) and The Sheik (1921). One of Douglas Fairbanks' biggest hits, The Thief of Bagdad was directed by Raoul Walsh; this Arabian Nights romp is probably Fairbanks' most enjoyable vehicle of that era. Quite possibly, it's Fairbanks best movie, period. Starring Rudolph Valentino, who set as many hearts aflutter as Justin Bieber,...
- 7/6/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
"Greg La Cava is, to my mind, the No. 1 director of these great and grand and glorious United States of ours. I have many friends, Directors, and I hate to have to expose my hand like this." —William Claude Dukenfield.
W.C. Fields, celebrated this month at the Film Forum in New York, might possibly be the greatest of the talking clowns, eclipsing even the Marx Bros, even Laurel & Hardy. It's easy to forget he had a substantial silent career before talkies, so crucial does that distracted drawl seem to his star identity. While Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd seemed somewhat diminished when audible words emerged from their lips, like Stan and Ollie, Fields blossomed in talkies. But, though they truly excel when offered the gift of speech, their silents are nothing to be sneezed at either.
Although Fields' talkies often had gifted comedy directors at the helm, notably former Keaton collaborator Clyde Bruckman,...
W.C. Fields, celebrated this month at the Film Forum in New York, might possibly be the greatest of the talking clowns, eclipsing even the Marx Bros, even Laurel & Hardy. It's easy to forget he had a substantial silent career before talkies, so crucial does that distracted drawl seem to his star identity. While Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd seemed somewhat diminished when audible words emerged from their lips, like Stan and Ollie, Fields blossomed in talkies. But, though they truly excel when offered the gift of speech, their silents are nothing to be sneezed at either.
Although Fields' talkies often had gifted comedy directors at the helm, notably former Keaton collaborator Clyde Bruckman,...
- 4/21/2011
- MUBI
On December 5, 1980, a motion picture arrived in theaters that redefined nothing.
Its makers had been hoping that the movie would be a titanic success, in the same leagues as Star Wars. It was not.
Its cast, having signed on to star in two more sequels, were hoping that this picture would place their names on the A-list of Hollywood actors. It did not.
But in the years that followed, there is one thing that Flash Gordon became: a cult movie, one that I deeply enjoy even though I shouldn't. I can't help myself: Flash Gordon is great. It's a movie that shouldn't have been made the way that it was, and probably the kind of film that couldn't get made today even if it were planned out.
To realize how a goofy but perfect Flash Gordon got made, you have to appreciate the era in a show business context. It was the late 1970s.
Its makers had been hoping that the movie would be a titanic success, in the same leagues as Star Wars. It was not.
Its cast, having signed on to star in two more sequels, were hoping that this picture would place their names on the A-list of Hollywood actors. It did not.
But in the years that followed, there is one thing that Flash Gordon became: a cult movie, one that I deeply enjoy even though I shouldn't. I can't help myself: Flash Gordon is great. It's a movie that shouldn't have been made the way that it was, and probably the kind of film that couldn't get made today even if it were planned out.
To realize how a goofy but perfect Flash Gordon got made, you have to appreciate the era in a show business context. It was the late 1970s.
- 12/6/2010
- by Patrick Sauriol
- Corona's Coming Attractions
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