James Wan is reportedly in talks for a remake of 'The Creature From The Black Lagoon'.The horror movie icon - who is known for his work on the likes of the 'Saw' and 'The Conjuring' franchises - appears set to helm a reboot of the original 1954 classic.As reported by Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter, Wan will serve as a producer on the movie, while he is also in "early talks" to direct the monster flick.It would be the first project he's attached himself to direct since his production company Atomic Monster merged with Blumhouse.The original 'Creature From The Black Lagoon' focused on a prehistoric water-breathing humanoid monster, along with a group of scientists trying to study him.Julie Adams starred alongside Richard Carlson as the woman who caught the Gill-Man's eye, while Jack Arnold was the director for the classic blacj and white feature.
- 8/13/2024
- by Alistair McGeorge
- Bang Showbiz
After merging his Atomic Monster film and TV production company with Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions earlier this year, James Wan looks to have finally set his next movie to direct, a remake of the 1954 monster horror film Creature From the Black Lagoon. More on this upcoming movie and Wan's potential involvement below.
Many people might recognize Wan as the creator of the highly successful The Conjuring Universe. He's also the co-creator of other successful horror franchises, such as the Saw franchise and the Insidious film series. But while he's been signed on as producer or executive producer on recent projects, he hasn't sat in the director's chair since 2023's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Now, it's been reported that he's in early talks to direct a Creature From the Black Lagoon remake for Atomic Monster and Universal Pictures. He will reportedly produce the film through his Atomic Monster production company,...
Many people might recognize Wan as the creator of the highly successful The Conjuring Universe. He's also the co-creator of other successful horror franchises, such as the Saw franchise and the Insidious film series. But while he's been signed on as producer or executive producer on recent projects, he hasn't sat in the director's chair since 2023's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Now, it's been reported that he's in early talks to direct a Creature From the Black Lagoon remake for Atomic Monster and Universal Pictures. He will reportedly produce the film through his Atomic Monster production company,...
- 8/12/2024
- by Crystal George
- 1428 Elm
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom director James Wan is set to return to the ocean for his next feature.
Universal has been trying to get a remake of Creature from the Black Lagoon off the ground for a few years at this stage, and the project is finally moving forward with the horror maestro at the helm.
According to THR, Wan is in early talks to direct a reimagining of the black-and-white '50s classic, which was helmed by Jack Arnold.
The original focused on a group of scientists attempting to study an ancient prehistoric monster known as the Gill-Man, who soon becomes dangerous and begins to pick them off after taking a shine to Julia Adams' character. It's still viewed by many as one of the most influential horror films of all time.
This take is described as being "a grounded, modernized retelling that will lean into visceral horror,...
Universal has been trying to get a remake of Creature from the Black Lagoon off the ground for a few years at this stage, and the project is finally moving forward with the horror maestro at the helm.
According to THR, Wan is in early talks to direct a reimagining of the black-and-white '50s classic, which was helmed by Jack Arnold.
The original focused on a group of scientists attempting to study an ancient prehistoric monster known as the Gill-Man, who soon becomes dangerous and begins to pick them off after taking a shine to Julia Adams' character. It's still viewed by many as one of the most influential horror films of all time.
This take is described as being "a grounded, modernized retelling that will lean into visceral horror,...
- 8/12/2024
- ComicBookMovie.com
“Aquaman” director James Wan is returning to the sea for his next feature film. He’s developing a remake of “Creature From the Black Lagoon” and is in early talks to direct for Universal Pictures.
The project is described as a “grounded modernized retelling that leans into visceral horror whilst paying respect to the original classic.” It’s been 70 years since the “Creature From the Black Lagoon” first graced the big screen in the 1954 adaptation directed by Jack Arnold and starring Richard Carlson and Julia Adams. Over the years, several directors including Guillermo del Toro have tried to reboot the black-and-white monster movie about a group of scientists who encounter a prehistoric monster in the Amazonian waters, but none have gotten off the ground.
“Creature From the Black Lagoon” is Universal’s latest attempt to mine its vast catalog of classic monsters for theaters. After the studio’s experiment to...
The project is described as a “grounded modernized retelling that leans into visceral horror whilst paying respect to the original classic.” It’s been 70 years since the “Creature From the Black Lagoon” first graced the big screen in the 1954 adaptation directed by Jack Arnold and starring Richard Carlson and Julia Adams. Over the years, several directors including Guillermo del Toro have tried to reboot the black-and-white monster movie about a group of scientists who encounter a prehistoric monster in the Amazonian waters, but none have gotten off the ground.
“Creature From the Black Lagoon” is Universal’s latest attempt to mine its vast catalog of classic monsters for theaters. After the studio’s experiment to...
- 8/12/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
By the 1950s, the Universal Monsters had become a punchline with most of them ending their onscreen careers meeting Abbott and Costello. Many of them had become victims of their own success, becoming so iconic that they had lost any ability to frighten anybody. Creatures from outer space, radioactive monsters, and giant bugs had taken over the throne as horror’s reigning attractions and anything that deviated from these felt passé and played out. Universal itself supplied plenty of its own creations into this theatrical landscape and relegated its classic monsters to the small screen. Into this environment came something new from the studio that all but created the modern horror film when Universal unleashed Creature from the Black Lagoon into the world.
There is much about the Creature that is similar to the Universal monsters that have come before. Like Lon Chaney’s Phantom, Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein Monster,...
There is much about the Creature that is similar to the Universal monsters that have come before. Like Lon Chaney’s Phantom, Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein Monster,...
- 6/26/2024
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
Barbara Rush, the classy yet largely unheralded leading lady who sparkled in the 1950s melodramas Magnificent Obsession, Bigger Than Life and The Young Philadelphians, has died. She was 97.
Rush, a regular on the fifth and final season of ABC’s Peyton Place and a favorite of sci-fi fans thanks to her work in When Worlds Collide (1951) and It Came From Outer Space (1953), died Sunday in Westlake Village, her daughter, Fox News senior correspondent Claudia Cowan, announced.
“My wonderful mother passed away peacefully at 5:28 this evening. I was with her this morning and know she was waiting for me to return home safely to transition,” Cowan said. “It’s fitting she chose to leave on Easter as it was one of her favorite holidays and now, of course, Easter will have a deeper significance for me and my family.”
A starlet at Paramount, Universal and Fox whose career blossomed at...
Rush, a regular on the fifth and final season of ABC’s Peyton Place and a favorite of sci-fi fans thanks to her work in When Worlds Collide (1951) and It Came From Outer Space (1953), died Sunday in Westlake Village, her daughter, Fox News senior correspondent Claudia Cowan, announced.
“My wonderful mother passed away peacefully at 5:28 this evening. I was with her this morning and know she was waiting for me to return home safely to transition,” Cowan said. “It’s fitting she chose to leave on Easter as it was one of her favorite holidays and now, of course, Easter will have a deeper significance for me and my family.”
A starlet at Paramount, Universal and Fox whose career blossomed at...
- 4/1/2024
- by Mike Barnes and Duane Byrge
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Plunging into the shadowy waters of cinematic history, Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) emerges not just as a film but as a phenomenon that has captivated the imaginations of horror enthusiasts and film buffs alike for seven decades. Celebrating its 70-year legacy, this masterpiece has swum far beyond its origins, securing a revered spot in the heart of monster movie lore.
As we dive deeper, we’re embarking on a journey through time, revisiting the ingenious craft and visionary storytelling that have made the Gill-man a beloved icon of horror. This retrospective aims to unearth the secrets behind the movie’s creation, its groundbreaking achievements, and the enduring fascination it holds. Let’s submerge ourselves in the murky depths where the Creature lurks, to rediscover the magic that makes Creature from the Black Lagoon a timeless treasure of the horror genre.
Universal Diving Into the Depths: The Origin Story
Creature from the Black Lagoon...
As we dive deeper, we’re embarking on a journey through time, revisiting the ingenious craft and visionary storytelling that have made the Gill-man a beloved icon of horror. This retrospective aims to unearth the secrets behind the movie’s creation, its groundbreaking achievements, and the enduring fascination it holds. Let’s submerge ourselves in the murky depths where the Creature lurks, to rediscover the magic that makes Creature from the Black Lagoon a timeless treasure of the horror genre.
Universal Diving Into the Depths: The Origin Story
Creature from the Black Lagoon...
- 3/6/2024
- by Kimberley Elizabeth
Newly restored in 4K from original, 35mm archival elements, the harrowing, supernatural thriller Tormented (1960) will be available 23rd April 2024 in a must-have collector’s edition loaded with bonus features, on Blu-ray and DVD from Film Masters.
Iconic cult film director Bert I. Gordon (Empire of the Ants, The Food of the Gods, The Mad Bomber, The Cyclops) helmed this terrifying story of passion from beyond the grave, starring Richard Carlson (Creature From the Black Lagoon, It Came From Outer Space), Susan Gordon (Ben Casey, The Five Pennies) and Lugene Sanders (The Life of Riley).
In a tight-knit island community off the coast of California, Tom Stewart (Carlson) is about to marry the woman he loves (Sanders). All is well until Tom’s ex-girlfriend, Vi (Reding), confronts him at the top of the island’s lighthouse, claiming he is hers and hers alone! When a freak accident occurs, he refuses to intervene,...
Iconic cult film director Bert I. Gordon (Empire of the Ants, The Food of the Gods, The Mad Bomber, The Cyclops) helmed this terrifying story of passion from beyond the grave, starring Richard Carlson (Creature From the Black Lagoon, It Came From Outer Space), Susan Gordon (Ben Casey, The Five Pennies) and Lugene Sanders (The Life of Riley).
In a tight-knit island community off the coast of California, Tom Stewart (Carlson) is about to marry the woman he loves (Sanders). All is well until Tom’s ex-girlfriend, Vi (Reding), confronts him at the top of the island’s lighthouse, claiming he is hers and hers alone! When a freak accident occurs, he refuses to intervene,...
- 2/28/2024
- by Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins
- Horror Asylum
Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.
Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!
The Wicker Man 4K Uhd Steelbook from Best Buy
Best Buy will exclusively carry The Wicker Man on Steelbook 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital on October 17 via Lionsgate. Richey Beckett designed the artwork. Pre-orders are live for $21.99.
In her recent 50th anniversary retrospective, Meagan Navarro called the 1973 British folk horror film “a classic horror movie whose legacy only seems to grow more potent with age.” Robin Hardy directs from a script by Anthony Shaffer (Frenzy). Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt, and Christopher Lee star.
The 94-minute “Final Cut” has been restored in 4K with Dolby Vision/Hdr and Lpcm mono audio. Special features include “The Wicker Man at 50” featurette; interviews with Hardy,...
Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!
The Wicker Man 4K Uhd Steelbook from Best Buy
Best Buy will exclusively carry The Wicker Man on Steelbook 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital on October 17 via Lionsgate. Richey Beckett designed the artwork. Pre-orders are live for $21.99.
In her recent 50th anniversary retrospective, Meagan Navarro called the 1973 British folk horror film “a classic horror movie whose legacy only seems to grow more potent with age.” Robin Hardy directs from a script by Anthony Shaffer (Frenzy). Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt, and Christopher Lee star.
The 94-minute “Final Cut” has been restored in 4K with Dolby Vision/Hdr and Lpcm mono audio. Special features include “The Wicker Man at 50” featurette; interviews with Hardy,...
- 8/25/2023
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
Ricou Browning, who took to the water as the menacing Gill-Man in the Creature From the Black Lagoon and as the creative force behind the original Flipper movie and TV show, has died. He was 93.
Browning died Monday of natural causes at his home in Southwest Ranches, Florida, his daughter Kim Browning told The Hollywood Reporter. “He had a fabulous career in the film industry, providing wonderful entertainment for past and future generations,” she said.
The Florida native also served as a stuntman on Richard Fleischer’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), doubled for Jerry Lewis in Don’t Give Up the Ship (1959) and “played all the bad guys in [TV’s] Sea Hunt,” he said in a 2013 interview.
Plus, Browning directed the harpoon-filled fight in Thunderball (1965), another underwater scene in Never Say Never Again (1983) and the hilarious Jaws-inspired candy bar-in-the-pool sequence in Caddyshack (1980).
Browning, who said he could routinely hold his...
Browning died Monday of natural causes at his home in Southwest Ranches, Florida, his daughter Kim Browning told The Hollywood Reporter. “He had a fabulous career in the film industry, providing wonderful entertainment for past and future generations,” she said.
The Florida native also served as a stuntman on Richard Fleischer’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), doubled for Jerry Lewis in Don’t Give Up the Ship (1959) and “played all the bad guys in [TV’s] Sea Hunt,” he said in a 2013 interview.
Plus, Browning directed the harpoon-filled fight in Thunderball (1965), another underwater scene in Never Say Never Again (1983) and the hilarious Jaws-inspired candy bar-in-the-pool sequence in Caddyshack (1980).
Browning, who said he could routinely hold his...
- 2/28/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Throughout the 1930s, Hollywood studios made multiple acclaimed films about American and British colonists trekking into the wilds of faraway countries in order to hunt the land's game, steal the country's resources, and abuse the locals for their own gain. Films like W.S. Van Dyke's 1931 film "Trader Horn" and Henry Hathaway's 1935 opus "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer" were even nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The prevailing attitude in Hollywood appeared to be that distant "exotic" countries were there to be conquered. Even "King Kong" was about attempted mastery over the wild world.
By 1954, however, attitudes had changed, as reflected in Jack Arnold's excellent monster movie "Creature from the Black Lagoon." By then, the jungles of the Amazon had become a forbidding place, a place that was beyond mastery. When trekking deep up the river to the titular Black Lagoon, a team of explorers...
By 1954, however, attitudes had changed, as reflected in Jack Arnold's excellent monster movie "Creature from the Black Lagoon." By then, the jungles of the Amazon had become a forbidding place, a place that was beyond mastery. When trekking deep up the river to the titular Black Lagoon, a team of explorers...
- 11/20/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
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“Is You In There, Zombie?”
By Raymond Benson
There are a handful of Hollywood movies out there that successfully combined comedy with the horror genre. Surprisingly, truly good ones are few and far between. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) is perhaps the quintessential example of the genre mashup. It provided genuine thrills and some frights mixed in with hilarious comedic bits. A more recent one that comes to mind is of course the 1984 megahit, Ghostbusters. There is no question that this Bill Murray vehicle owes a great deal to the 1940 romp, The Ghost Breakers, considered one of Bob Hope’s most beloved early pictures.
Based on the 1909 stage play, The Ghost Breaker, by Paul Dickey and Charles W. Goddard, the 1940 movie is actually a remake of previous adaptations. Both Cecil B. DeMille and Alfred E. Green made silent films of the play in 1914 and 1922, respectively,...
“Is You In There, Zombie?”
By Raymond Benson
There are a handful of Hollywood movies out there that successfully combined comedy with the horror genre. Surprisingly, truly good ones are few and far between. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) is perhaps the quintessential example of the genre mashup. It provided genuine thrills and some frights mixed in with hilarious comedic bits. A more recent one that comes to mind is of course the 1984 megahit, Ghostbusters. There is no question that this Bill Murray vehicle owes a great deal to the 1940 romp, The Ghost Breakers, considered one of Bob Hope’s most beloved early pictures.
Based on the 1909 stage play, The Ghost Breaker, by Paul Dickey and Charles W. Goddard, the 1940 movie is actually a remake of previous adaptations. Both Cecil B. DeMille and Alfred E. Green made silent films of the play in 1914 and 1922, respectively,...
- 4/18/2022
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
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By Darren Allison
The Film Detective continues to thrill us with a couple of excellent cult classics. Frankenstein’s Daughter is a film that had been denied a great deal of exposure to fans of the strange and macabre. For many, it’s a title that has teased us for decades, with a still or a lobby card appearing once in a while by way of a horror book or a specialist periodical, so it is certainly welcome. It is typically what one would expect from this lush 1950s period. An incredibly low-budget affair, these films would often be produced for around $60,000, but the filmmakers certainly knew how to squeeze every ounce out of that budget. If anything, it ignited creativity and provided a lesson in how to make the most of the limited resources that were available to them.
Frankenstein’s Daughter is a fine example of that.
By Darren Allison
The Film Detective continues to thrill us with a couple of excellent cult classics. Frankenstein’s Daughter is a film that had been denied a great deal of exposure to fans of the strange and macabre. For many, it’s a title that has teased us for decades, with a still or a lobby card appearing once in a while by way of a horror book or a specialist periodical, so it is certainly welcome. It is typically what one would expect from this lush 1950s period. An incredibly low-budget affair, these films would often be produced for around $60,000, but the filmmakers certainly knew how to squeeze every ounce out of that budget. If anything, it ignited creativity and provided a lesson in how to make the most of the limited resources that were available to them.
Frankenstein’s Daughter is a fine example of that.
- 12/15/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
We say it every week, but it must be said again.
Premieres are still rolling out, and movies are dropping all of the time. There are also season finales upon us as the viewing patterns are consistently changing.
Here's what we recommend to watch this week.
Saturday, October 16
8/7c Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff: The Kristine Carlson Story (Lifetime)
Meghan McCain executive produces and Heather Locklear stars in this heartfelt movie based on Kristine Carlson’s book Heartbroken.
When Dr. Richard Carlson, the man behind the “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” brand tragically passes away, his wife struggles to adapt to single motherhood as a widower and coming out of her husband’s shadow to carry on his legacy and make it her own..
Grab your tissues for this tear-jerker based on real events.
9/8c Slumber Party Massacre (Syfy)
Can Danishka Esterhazy remake the feminist horror movie while adding...
Premieres are still rolling out, and movies are dropping all of the time. There are also season finales upon us as the viewing patterns are consistently changing.
Here's what we recommend to watch this week.
Saturday, October 16
8/7c Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff: The Kristine Carlson Story (Lifetime)
Meghan McCain executive produces and Heather Locklear stars in this heartfelt movie based on Kristine Carlson’s book Heartbroken.
When Dr. Richard Carlson, the man behind the “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” brand tragically passes away, his wife struggles to adapt to single motherhood as a widower and coming out of her husband’s shadow to carry on his legacy and make it her own..
Grab your tissues for this tear-jerker based on real events.
9/8c Slumber Party Massacre (Syfy)
Can Danishka Esterhazy remake the feminist horror movie while adding...
- 10/16/2021
- by Carissa Pavlica
- TVfanatic
Stuntman Bob Herron, who worked as a stuntman on films such as “Diamonds Are Forever,” “L.A. Confidential” and “Batman Forever” has died on Sunday after suffering for complications from a fall, a family member confirmed to Variety. He was 97.
Herron was one of the founding members of the Stuntmen’s Association in 1961 and a past president.
Earlier this year, the Stuntmen’s Association celebrated 60 years. When asked why he had started the association, Herron said, he had wanted to bring stunt people together. “There wasn’t a network for the stuntmen to organize with each other; we were all separate.”
Herron’s love for stunts began as a young child. In an interview with Variety, the stuntman explained, “My stepfather rented horses to the studios and I started wrangling them for the actors and the stuntmen to ride, and it made more money. I thought, ‘That’s the way I want to go.
Herron was one of the founding members of the Stuntmen’s Association in 1961 and a past president.
Earlier this year, the Stuntmen’s Association celebrated 60 years. When asked why he had started the association, Herron said, he had wanted to bring stunt people together. “There wasn’t a network for the stuntmen to organize with each other; we were all separate.”
Herron’s love for stunts began as a young child. In an interview with Variety, the stuntman explained, “My stepfather rented horses to the studios and I started wrangling them for the actors and the stuntmen to ride, and it made more money. I thought, ‘That’s the way I want to go.
- 10/11/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Juli Reding, an actress known for turns in films including Tormented and Mission in Morocco, along with numerous guest-starring TV appearances, has died. She was 85.
Showbiz & Media Figures We’ve Lost In 2021 – Photo Gallery
She died September 16 in Springfield, Mo, according to the Springfield News-Leader.
Reding made more than 20 film and TV appearances between the 1950s and ’80s and was perhaps best known for Tormented, a horror pic from filmmaker and VFX artist Bert I. Gordon. It was featured in the fourth season of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
In the feature, she portrayed Vi Mason, the former flame of jazz musician Tom Stewart’s (Richard Carlson), who comes back to haunt him after he lets her fall to her death.
Reding signed a contract with Warner Bros. in the 1950s and would appear over the years in motion pictures including The Helen Morgan Story, Cowboy, Darby’s Rangers, Vice Raid,...
Showbiz & Media Figures We’ve Lost In 2021 – Photo Gallery
She died September 16 in Springfield, Mo, according to the Springfield News-Leader.
Reding made more than 20 film and TV appearances between the 1950s and ’80s and was perhaps best known for Tormented, a horror pic from filmmaker and VFX artist Bert I. Gordon. It was featured in the fourth season of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
In the feature, she portrayed Vi Mason, the former flame of jazz musician Tom Stewart’s (Richard Carlson), who comes back to haunt him after he lets her fall to her death.
Reding signed a contract with Warner Bros. in the 1950s and would appear over the years in motion pictures including The Helen Morgan Story, Cowboy, Darby’s Rangers, Vice Raid,...
- 10/7/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Juli Reding, who starred in the 1960 Bert I. Gordon horror film Tormented as a spurned woman who haunts the man who let her plunge to her death from a lighthouse balcony, has died. She was 85.
Reding died Sept. 16 in Springfield, Missouri, her family announced.
In Allied Artists’ Tormented, directed and co-written by famed horror maestro Gordon, Reding portrayed Vi Mason, the ex-girlfriend of a jazz musician (Richard Carlson) who’s planning to get married. When he refuses her advances, she threatens to blackmail him and ruin his life, which she manages to do as a ghostly apparition who at one ...
Reding died Sept. 16 in Springfield, Missouri, her family announced.
In Allied Artists’ Tormented, directed and co-written by famed horror maestro Gordon, Reding portrayed Vi Mason, the ex-girlfriend of a jazz musician (Richard Carlson) who’s planning to get married. When he refuses her advances, she threatens to blackmail him and ruin his life, which she manages to do as a ghostly apparition who at one ...
- 10/6/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Juli Reding, who starred in the 1960 Bert I. Gordon horror film Tormented as a spurned woman who haunts the man who let her plunge to her death from a lighthouse balcony, has died. She was 85.
Reding died Sept. 16 in Springfield, Missouri, her family announced.
In Allied Artists’ Tormented, directed and co-written by famed horror maestro Gordon, Reding portrayed Vi Mason, the ex-girlfriend of a jazz musician (Richard Carlson) who’s planning to get married. When he refuses her advances, she threatens to blackmail him and ruin his life, which she manages to do as a ghostly apparition who at one ...
Reding died Sept. 16 in Springfield, Missouri, her family announced.
In Allied Artists’ Tormented, directed and co-written by famed horror maestro Gordon, Reding portrayed Vi Mason, the ex-girlfriend of a jazz musician (Richard Carlson) who’s planning to get married. When he refuses her advances, she threatens to blackmail him and ruin his life, which she manages to do as a ghostly apparition who at one ...
- 10/6/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Lifetime has given a green light to new original movie Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff: The Kristine Carlson Story (working title), with Heather Locklear (Melrose Place) set to star in the title role, and Meghan McCain executive producing. This is McCain’s first project since she announced her departure as co-host of ABC’s Emmy-winning daytime talk show The View at the end of the month.
The film tells the emotional and inspiring true story of Kristine Carlson, co-author of the best-selling book series Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff with her husband, Dr. Richard Carlson, who finds her world crashing down around her after Richard unexpectedly passes away. Faced with unsurmountable grief, Kristine finds her voice and the strength to navigate and rebuild her family in the midst of profound loss. The film also stars Natasha Bure (Fuller House) as daughter Jazzy, Jason MacDonald (Vampire Diaries) as...
The film tells the emotional and inspiring true story of Kristine Carlson, co-author of the best-selling book series Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff with her husband, Dr. Richard Carlson, who finds her world crashing down around her after Richard unexpectedly passes away. Faced with unsurmountable grief, Kristine finds her voice and the strength to navigate and rebuild her family in the midst of profound loss. The film also stars Natasha Bure (Fuller House) as daughter Jazzy, Jason MacDonald (Vampire Diaries) as...
- 7/26/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
More than 40 years ago, Renée Richards successfully fought for the right to play women’s tennis after undergoing gender confirmation surgery. Richards goes unmentioned in “Changing the Game” — a fast-moving, vivid, and touching account of three teenaged transgender athletes and their struggles to play competitive sports in high school — but her example should be taken into consideration when thinking through this issue.
Richards had her surgery only when she was over 40 years old, and it cannot be stressed enough how difficult it was for her to get to that point in 1975. By contrast, the three modern-day transgender teenagers in “Changing the Game” have already started taking hormones, and so the challenges they are facing are very different from the ones that Richards faced; still, one constant on this issue is the outright prejudice of the right wing.
It was Tucker Carlson’s father Richard Carlson who first outed Richards as transgender,...
Richards had her surgery only when she was over 40 years old, and it cannot be stressed enough how difficult it was for her to get to that point in 1975. By contrast, the three modern-day transgender teenagers in “Changing the Game” have already started taking hormones, and so the challenges they are facing are very different from the ones that Richards faced; still, one constant on this issue is the outright prejudice of the right wing.
It was Tucker Carlson’s father Richard Carlson who first outed Richards as transgender,...
- 6/1/2021
- by Dan Callahan
- The Wrap
A cobwebbed castle? Check. Damsel in distress? Uh huh. An icky, 200 year old secret? Why not! You are about to enter The Maze (1953), a low key flick that doles out the kind of smile-inducing simple pleasure unique to the era. I also think it was partly the inspiration for Burnt Offerings, one of my favorite films.
Released and distributed by Allied Artists Pictures in late July, The Maze was dismissed as gimmicky melodrama, thanks to the commercial go-round with 3-D that Hollywood to this day still thinks we want; but director William Cameron Menzies was as good (or better) a production designer as director, so The Maze is, at the very least, a slick entertainment with canny use of space. At its most, it tells a tale quite unlike anything I’ve seen before (but have since).
Enjoying his engagement to Kitty (Veronica Hurst – The Boy Cried Murder) on the French Riviera,...
Released and distributed by Allied Artists Pictures in late July, The Maze was dismissed as gimmicky melodrama, thanks to the commercial go-round with 3-D that Hollywood to this day still thinks we want; but director William Cameron Menzies was as good (or better) a production designer as director, so The Maze is, at the very least, a slick entertainment with canny use of space. At its most, it tells a tale quite unlike anything I’ve seen before (but have since).
Enjoying his engagement to Kitty (Veronica Hurst – The Boy Cried Murder) on the French Riviera,...
- 8/15/2020
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, Sam Moffitt, and Tom Stockman
Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films such as Jason And The Argonauts and The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad passed away in 2013 at age 92. In 1933, the then-13-year-old Ray Harryhausen saw King Kong at a Hollywood theater and was inspired – not only by Kong, who was clearly not just a man in a gorilla suit, but also by the dinosaurs. He came out of the theatre “stunned and haunted. They looked absolutely lifelike … I wanted to know how it was done.” It was done by using stop-motion animation: jointed models filmed one frame at a time to simulate movement. Harryhausen was to become the prime exponent of the technique and its combination with live action. The influence of Harryhausen on film luminaries like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and...
Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films such as Jason And The Argonauts and The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad passed away in 2013 at age 92. In 1933, the then-13-year-old Ray Harryhausen saw King Kong at a Hollywood theater and was inspired – not only by Kong, who was clearly not just a man in a gorilla suit, but also by the dinosaurs. He came out of the theatre “stunned and haunted. They looked absolutely lifelike … I wanted to know how it was done.” It was done by using stop-motion animation: jointed models filmed one frame at a time to simulate movement. Harryhausen was to become the prime exponent of the technique and its combination with live action. The influence of Harryhausen on film luminaries like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and...
- 6/29/2020
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, Sam Moffitt, and Tom Stockman
Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films such as Jason And The Argonauts and The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad passed away in 2013 at age 92. In 1933, the then-13-year-old Ray Harryhausen saw King Kong at a Hollywood theater and was inspired – not only by Kong, who was clearly not just a man in a gorilla suit, but also by the dinosaurs. He came out of the theatre “stunned and haunted. They looked absolutely lifelike … I wanted to know how it was done.” It was done by using stop-motion animation: jointed models filmed one frame at a time to simulate movement. Harryhausen was to become the prime exponent of the technique and its combination with live action. The influence of Harryhausen on film luminaries like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and...
Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films such as Jason And The Argonauts and The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad passed away in 2013 at age 92. In 1933, the then-13-year-old Ray Harryhausen saw King Kong at a Hollywood theater and was inspired – not only by Kong, who was clearly not just a man in a gorilla suit, but also by the dinosaurs. He came out of the theatre “stunned and haunted. They looked absolutely lifelike … I wanted to know how it was done.” It was done by using stop-motion animation: jointed models filmed one frame at a time to simulate movement. Harryhausen was to become the prime exponent of the technique and its combination with live action. The influence of Harryhausen on film luminaries like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and...
- 5/7/2020
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Our 75th guest! The legendary filmmaker John Sayles joins Josh and Joe to explore some of his favorite movies.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Ulzana’s Raid (1972)
Django (1966)
The Birth Of A Nation (1915)
City Of Hope (1991)
Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980)
The Challenge (1982)
Avalanche (1978)
Eight Men Out (1988)
Piranha (1978)
The Howling (1981)
The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
The Killers (1964)
The King And I (1956)
Time Without Pity (1957)
The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964)
Ben-Hur (1957)
The Ten Commandments (1956)
Two Women (1960)
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Spartacus (1960)
Fixed Bayonets! (1951)
The Steel Helmet (1951)
Merrill’s Marauders (1962)
Targets (1968)
Touch Of Evil (1958)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Woodstock (1970)
Crime In The Streets (1956)
The Bad Seed (1956)
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
Fedora (1978)
Dune (1984)
The Cotton Club (1984)
Choose Me (1984)
Raising Arizona (1987)
El Norte (1983)
Yellow Sky (1948)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
The Irishman (2019)
A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood (2019)
The Thing (1982)
Chinatown (1974)
Manhattan (1979)
Duck Amuck (1953)
Goodfellas (1990)
Humanoids Of The Deep (1980)
Cockfighter (1974)
Dynamite Women a.k.a. The Great Texas Dynamite Chase...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Ulzana’s Raid (1972)
Django (1966)
The Birth Of A Nation (1915)
City Of Hope (1991)
Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980)
The Challenge (1982)
Avalanche (1978)
Eight Men Out (1988)
Piranha (1978)
The Howling (1981)
The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
The Killers (1964)
The King And I (1956)
Time Without Pity (1957)
The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964)
Ben-Hur (1957)
The Ten Commandments (1956)
Two Women (1960)
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Spartacus (1960)
Fixed Bayonets! (1951)
The Steel Helmet (1951)
Merrill’s Marauders (1962)
Targets (1968)
Touch Of Evil (1958)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Woodstock (1970)
Crime In The Streets (1956)
The Bad Seed (1956)
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
Fedora (1978)
Dune (1984)
The Cotton Club (1984)
Choose Me (1984)
Raising Arizona (1987)
El Norte (1983)
Yellow Sky (1948)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
The Irishman (2019)
A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood (2019)
The Thing (1982)
Chinatown (1974)
Manhattan (1979)
Duck Amuck (1953)
Goodfellas (1990)
Humanoids Of The Deep (1980)
Cockfighter (1974)
Dynamite Women a.k.a. The Great Texas Dynamite Chase...
- 4/7/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
A CineSavant Article A mention in a book by Tom Weaver of an odd shared visual in two Universal-International movies of the 1950s prompts a quick frame-grab comparison, and also some thoughts about how movies were really made back when twenty dollars was probably considered a big budget expenditure. Some savant I am … I simply didn’t see what was in front of my eyes! A contributor (and friend) had to hold me by the neck to see what a few others have figured out before. Bud and Lou are involved, so who can complain?
Now for some fun, the man said. This one gets filed in the In Box for ‘Odd Mysteries.’ Friend and advisor Craig Reardon has been enduring the world’s forced isolation (cough) by doing what we all do when the going gets tough, watching TV.
Craig found something while doing a feature-by-feature survey of...
Now for some fun, the man said. This one gets filed in the In Box for ‘Odd Mysteries.’ Friend and advisor Craig Reardon has been enduring the world’s forced isolation (cough) by doing what we all do when the going gets tough, watching TV.
Craig found something while doing a feature-by-feature survey of...
- 3/31/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The Invisible Man reboot has proven to be a success with both audiences and critics alike, opening the door for more reinventions from the Universal Classic Monsters collection. Next up, it seems that Creature from the Black Lagoon will be getting the remake treatment and the studio has two McU powerhouses in mind to lead this ambitious endeavor.
After the less than stellar performance from Tom Cruise’s remake of The Mummy, the Dark Universe was pretty much dead in the water. Instead of doing something similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Universal then decided to focus on updated versions of their classic horror creatures with the emphasis being on standalone stories.
The first attempt was from Saw co-creator Leigh Whannell, who directed The Invisible Man starring Elisabeth Moss. While many doubted it would be anything more than another B-level horror release, it’s since defied expectations and there are...
After the less than stellar performance from Tom Cruise’s remake of The Mummy, the Dark Universe was pretty much dead in the water. Instead of doing something similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Universal then decided to focus on updated versions of their classic horror creatures with the emphasis being on standalone stories.
The first attempt was from Saw co-creator Leigh Whannell, who directed The Invisible Man starring Elisabeth Moss. While many doubted it would be anything more than another B-level horror release, it’s since defied expectations and there are...
- 3/6/2020
- by D.J. Rivera
- We Got This Covered
Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, Sam Moffitt, and Tom Stockman
Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films such as Jason And The Argonauts and The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad passed away in 2013 at age 92. In 1933, the then-13-year-old Ray Harryhausen saw King Kong at a Hollywood theater and was inspired – not only by Kong, who was clearly not just a man in a gorilla suit, but also by the dinosaurs. He came out of the theatre “stunned and haunted. They looked absolutely lifelike … I wanted to know how it was done.” It was done by using stop-motion animation: jointed models filmed one frame at a time to simulate movement. Harryhausen was to become the prime exponent of the technique and its combination with live action. The influence of Harryhausen on film luminaries like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and...
Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films such as Jason And The Argonauts and The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad passed away in 2013 at age 92. In 1933, the then-13-year-old Ray Harryhausen saw King Kong at a Hollywood theater and was inspired – not only by Kong, who was clearly not just a man in a gorilla suit, but also by the dinosaurs. He came out of the theatre “stunned and haunted. They looked absolutely lifelike … I wanted to know how it was done.” It was done by using stop-motion animation: jointed models filmed one frame at a time to simulate movement. Harryhausen was to become the prime exponent of the technique and its combination with live action. The influence of Harryhausen on film luminaries like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and...
- 6/29/2019
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The ‘other’ Hollywood studio version of the Alamo story is quite good, with strong production values, exciting stunt battle action and something Republic Pictures didn’t manage very often, a solid screenplay. Sterling Hayden is Jim Bowie, this version’s central hero, with great backup from Anna Maria Alberghetti, Ernest Borgnine, J. Carrol Naish, and Ben Cooper. But best of all is that old hay-shaker Arthur Hunnicutt, as the movies’ best and most natural Davy Crockett.
The Last Command
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1955 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 110 min. / Street Date December 11, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Sterling Hayden, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Richard Carlson, Arthur Hunnicutt, Ernest Borgnine, J. Carrol Naish, Ben Cooper, John Russell, Virginia Grey, Jim Davis, Eduard Franz, Otto Kruger, Russell Simpson, Roy Roberts, Slim Pickens, Hugh Sanders, Morris Ankrum, Argentina Brunetti, Robert Burton.
Cinematography: Jack A. Marta
Film Editor: Tony Martinelli
Original Music: Max Steiner
Special Effects: Howard...
The Last Command
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1955 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 110 min. / Street Date December 11, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Sterling Hayden, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Richard Carlson, Arthur Hunnicutt, Ernest Borgnine, J. Carrol Naish, Ben Cooper, John Russell, Virginia Grey, Jim Davis, Eduard Franz, Otto Kruger, Russell Simpson, Roy Roberts, Slim Pickens, Hugh Sanders, Morris Ankrum, Argentina Brunetti, Robert Burton.
Cinematography: Jack A. Marta
Film Editor: Tony Martinelli
Original Music: Max Steiner
Special Effects: Howard...
- 1/15/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Deborah Kerr would’ve celebrated her 97th birthday on September 30, 2018. With six Oscar bids to her name, the Scottish-born thespian is one of the most celebrated performers of all time. However, she never actually won one of those little gold statuettes, giving her the dubious distinction of tying Thelma Ritter and Glenn Close as the most nominated actress without a victory. Still, she must’ve done something right to rack up all that Academy recognition. In honor of her birthday, let’s take a look back at 15 of her greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1921, Kerr got her start on the London stage before appearing in her first film when she was just 20-years-old: “Major Barbara” (1941). She had her big break two years later in Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger‘s epic “The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp” (1943). Kerr reunited with the filmmaking duo for “Black Narcissus...
Born in 1921, Kerr got her start on the London stage before appearing in her first film when she was just 20-years-old: “Major Barbara” (1941). She had her big break two years later in Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger‘s epic “The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp” (1943). Kerr reunited with the filmmaking duo for “Black Narcissus...
- 9/30/2018
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
By Todd Garbarini
In the days before the home video revolution made its way into my family, the only way to see a movie on television was to either watch it when it was aired or beg my grandmother to ask her brother to record it for me on his $1200 Magnavox video tape recorder. Just before Halloween in 1983, she told me of a movie that she had seen in a local theater in 1954 called The Maze, which starred one of her favorite actors, Richard Carlson. Channel 5 in New York was showing it at 2:30 am and we later viewed it at her brother’s house on VHS. I recall a TV trailer for Andrzej Zulawski’s Possession airing during the commercial break, oblivious that it would become one of my favorite horror movies seven years later.
The Maze, which was released in 3-D in July 1953 and played at the Rko Albee Theater in Brooklyn,...
In the days before the home video revolution made its way into my family, the only way to see a movie on television was to either watch it when it was aired or beg my grandmother to ask her brother to record it for me on his $1200 Magnavox video tape recorder. Just before Halloween in 1983, she told me of a movie that she had seen in a local theater in 1954 called The Maze, which starred one of her favorite actors, Richard Carlson. Channel 5 in New York was showing it at 2:30 am and we later viewed it at her brother’s house on VHS. I recall a TV trailer for Andrzej Zulawski’s Possession airing during the commercial break, oblivious that it would become one of my favorite horror movies seven years later.
The Maze, which was released in 3-D in July 1953 and played at the Rko Albee Theater in Brooklyn,...
- 9/8/2018
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
It’s controversy in the Black Lagoon! Universal releases a much-desired box of all three Gill Man epics — but goes cheap on the encoding and hands us a 3-D rendering of Revenge of the Creature at half-resolution. When is a Blu-ray not a Blu-ray? When it’s not even full HD. And all that after commissioning a state-of-the-art 4k 3-D video remaster!
Creature From the Black Lagoon: Complete Legacy Collection
Creature from the Black Lagoon (3-D + 2-D), Revenge of the Creature (3-D) + 2-D, The Creature Walks Among Us (2-D)
Blu-ray
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
1954-1956 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 79, 82, 78 min. / Street Date August 28, 2018 / 39.98
Starring: Julie Adams, Lori Nelson, Leigh Snowden, Nestor Paiva, Richard Carlson, Jeff Morrow, John Agar, Rex Reason, Richard Denning, John Bromfield, Jeff Morrow, Greg Palmer…
and as the Gill Man: Ricou Browning, Ben Chapman, Don Megowan, others.
Cinematography: William E. Snyder; Charles S. Welbourne; Maury Gertsman
Film...
Creature From the Black Lagoon: Complete Legacy Collection
Creature from the Black Lagoon (3-D + 2-D), Revenge of the Creature (3-D) + 2-D, The Creature Walks Among Us (2-D)
Blu-ray
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
1954-1956 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 79, 82, 78 min. / Street Date August 28, 2018 / 39.98
Starring: Julie Adams, Lori Nelson, Leigh Snowden, Nestor Paiva, Richard Carlson, Jeff Morrow, John Agar, Rex Reason, Richard Denning, John Bromfield, Jeff Morrow, Greg Palmer…
and as the Gill Man: Ricou Browning, Ben Chapman, Don Megowan, others.
Cinematography: William E. Snyder; Charles S. Welbourne; Maury Gertsman
Film...
- 9/1/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
One of my favorite classic Universal monster movies is The Creature From the Black Lagoon. There is just something about the setting, the characters, the story and the monster design that sucked me right in.
The film was actually supposed to be part of Universal Pictures' Dark Universe, but we don't know exactly where that whole plan currently stands at the moment. Regardless, if the studio ever does decide to move forward with a remake of The Creature of the Black Lagoon, Rob Zombie is interested in taking it on.
During an interview with HDNet that was uncovered by JoBlo, the director expressed his interest in the film saying:
"One thing I always thought was possible was to remake the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Because the creature itself, in that phenomenal suit they constructed, could be exactly the same. So I think Creature from the Black Lagoon could be a cool one.
The film was actually supposed to be part of Universal Pictures' Dark Universe, but we don't know exactly where that whole plan currently stands at the moment. Regardless, if the studio ever does decide to move forward with a remake of The Creature of the Black Lagoon, Rob Zombie is interested in taking it on.
During an interview with HDNet that was uncovered by JoBlo, the director expressed his interest in the film saying:
"One thing I always thought was possible was to remake the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Because the creature itself, in that phenomenal suit they constructed, could be exactly the same. So I think Creature from the Black Lagoon could be a cool one.
- 6/6/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
The pretty faces that give Hollywood its glamour eventually fade, but Alexandra Hall’s documentary reveals a remarkable woman who parlayed her beauty into an incredible life — from nude scenes in a notorious 1933 Austrian film, to eleven years in Hollywood as MGM’s ‘most beautiful girl in the world’, to a seemingly incompatible achievement: she invented a revolutionary communications technology for the WW2 war effort, and only belatedly received credit for it. A remarkable audio interview with the legendary lady brings a fabulous life into focus.
Bombshell, The Hedy Lamarr Story
Blu-ray
Kino Lorber / Zeitgeist
2017 / Color & B&W / 1:78 widescreen / 88 min. / Street Date April 24, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 22.99
Starring: Hedy Lamarr, Jeanine Basinger, Peter Bogdanovich, Mel Brooks, Gillian Jacobs, Wendy Colton, Jan-Christopher Horak, Diane Kruger, Guy Livingston, Anthony Loder, Jimmy Loder, Lodi Loder, Denise Loder-DeLuca, Art McTighe, Fleming Meeks, Robert Osborne.
Cinematography: Buddy Squires, Alex Stikich
Film Editor: Alexandra Dean,...
Bombshell, The Hedy Lamarr Story
Blu-ray
Kino Lorber / Zeitgeist
2017 / Color & B&W / 1:78 widescreen / 88 min. / Street Date April 24, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 22.99
Starring: Hedy Lamarr, Jeanine Basinger, Peter Bogdanovich, Mel Brooks, Gillian Jacobs, Wendy Colton, Jan-Christopher Horak, Diane Kruger, Guy Livingston, Anthony Loder, Jimmy Loder, Lodi Loder, Denise Loder-DeLuca, Art McTighe, Fleming Meeks, Robert Osborne.
Cinematography: Buddy Squires, Alex Stikich
Film Editor: Alexandra Dean,...
- 4/17/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
It’s a promising project for Allied Artists: William Cameron Menzies does a spooky horror movie in 3-D! Something creepy’s going on in a mysterious Scottish castle, something to do with problems in the lineage to a Barony. It’s also a 3-c epic: Candles, Cobwebs and Corridors. Add a frightened, shivering heroine in a nightgown and the horror recipe is complete. It’s another restoration treat from the 3-D Film Archive.
The Maze
3-D Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1953 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 80 min. / Street Date April 24, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 34.95
Starring: Richard Carlson. Veronica Hurst, Katherine Emery, Michael Pate, John Dodsworth, Hillary Brooke, Stanley Fraser, Lillian Bond, Owen McGiveney, Robin Hughes.
Cinematography: Harry Neumann
Film Editor: John Fuller
Original Music: Marlin Skiles
Written by Daniel B. Ullman, from a novel by Maurice Sandoz
Produced by Richard V. Heermance, Walter Mirisch
Production Design and Directed by William Cameron...
The Maze
3-D Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1953 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 80 min. / Street Date April 24, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 34.95
Starring: Richard Carlson. Veronica Hurst, Katherine Emery, Michael Pate, John Dodsworth, Hillary Brooke, Stanley Fraser, Lillian Bond, Owen McGiveney, Robin Hughes.
Cinematography: Harry Neumann
Film Editor: John Fuller
Original Music: Marlin Skiles
Written by Daniel B. Ullman, from a novel by Maurice Sandoz
Produced by Richard V. Heermance, Walter Mirisch
Production Design and Directed by William Cameron...
- 4/10/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The first visitor from outer space in the ’50s sci-fi boom is one very curious guy, dropping to Earth in a ship like a diving bell and scaring the bejesus out of Sally Field’s mother. Micro-budgeted space invasion fantasy gets off to a great start, thanks to the filmmaking genius of our old pal Edgar G. Ulmer.
The Man from Planet X
Blu-ray
Scream Factory / Shout! Factory
1951 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 71 min. / Street Date July 11, 2017 / 27.99
Starring: Robert Clarke, Margaret Field, Raymond Bond, William Schallert, Roy Engel, David Ormont.
Cinematography: John L. Russell
Film Editor: Fred R. Feitshans, Jr.
Original Music: Charles Koff
Written and Produced by Aubrey Wisberg, Jack Pollexfen
Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer
One of the first features of the 1950s Sci-Fi boom, 1951’s The Man from Planet X set a lot of precedents, cementing the public impression of ‘little green men from Mars’ and...
The Man from Planet X
Blu-ray
Scream Factory / Shout! Factory
1951 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 71 min. / Street Date July 11, 2017 / 27.99
Starring: Robert Clarke, Margaret Field, Raymond Bond, William Schallert, Roy Engel, David Ormont.
Cinematography: John L. Russell
Film Editor: Fred R. Feitshans, Jr.
Original Music: Charles Koff
Written and Produced by Aubrey Wisberg, Jack Pollexfen
Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer
One of the first features of the 1950s Sci-Fi boom, 1951’s The Man from Planet X set a lot of precedents, cementing the public impression of ‘little green men from Mars’ and...
- 6/16/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
One of the most iconic creature features from the ’50s — Jack Arnold’s “Creature From The Black Lagoon” — is getting a big screen remake, courtesy of writer Will Beall. Having scripted the upcoming “Aquaman,” Beall will be putting his spin on the legendary tale, with production from the team behind the upcoming Universal’s Monsters Universe, Deadline reports.
Read More: ‘Aquaman’ Using the ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Team to Pull Off Stunts
The original movie was widely praised upon release as an innovative and scary adventure.
IndieWire’s sister site Variety reviewed the film on December 31, 1953, writing that, “the 3-D lensing adds to the eerie effects of the underwater footage, as well as to the monster’s several appearances on land. The below-water scraps between skin divers and the prehistoric thing are thrilling and will pop goose pimples on the susceptible fan, as will the closeup scenes of the scaly,...
Read More: ‘Aquaman’ Using the ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Team to Pull Off Stunts
The original movie was widely praised upon release as an innovative and scary adventure.
IndieWire’s sister site Variety reviewed the film on December 31, 1953, writing that, “the 3-D lensing adds to the eerie effects of the underwater footage, as well as to the monster’s several appearances on land. The below-water scraps between skin divers and the prehistoric thing are thrilling and will pop goose pimples on the susceptible fan, as will the closeup scenes of the scaly,...
- 4/1/2017
- by William Earl
- Indiewire
Gwangi! Ready your rifles and lariats because this is one of the best. Harryhausen’s happiest dinos- à go-go epic comes thundering back in HD heralded by Jerome Moross’s impressive music score. Unless you count The Animal World, all of the stop-motion magician’s feature films are now available in quality Blu-rays.
The Valley of Gwangi
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1969 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date March 14, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: James Franciscus, Gila Golan, Richard Carlson, Laurence Naismith, Freda Jackson, Gustavo Rojo.
Cinematography: Erwin Hillier
Visual Effects by Ray Harryhausen
Art Direction: Gil Parrondo
Film Editor: Henry Richardson
Original Music: Jerome Moross
Written by William E. Bast
Produced by Charles H. Schneer
Directed by Jim O’Connolly
“Ladies and Gentlemen, what you are about to see has never been seen before, I Repeat, has never been seen before by human eyes!”
In just the last month three...
The Valley of Gwangi
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1969 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date March 14, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: James Franciscus, Gila Golan, Richard Carlson, Laurence Naismith, Freda Jackson, Gustavo Rojo.
Cinematography: Erwin Hillier
Visual Effects by Ray Harryhausen
Art Direction: Gil Parrondo
Film Editor: Henry Richardson
Original Music: Jerome Moross
Written by William E. Bast
Produced by Charles H. Schneer
Directed by Jim O’Connolly
“Ladies and Gentlemen, what you are about to see has never been seen before, I Repeat, has never been seen before by human eyes!”
In just the last month three...
- 3/7/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Valentine’s Day is bringing horror and sci-fi fans numerous gifts this Tuesday in the form of a ton of great Blu-ray and DVD releases. One of my favorites from 2016, the Academy Award-nominated Arrival, hits 4K Blu-ray, as well as traditional Blu-ray and DVD formats, this week courtesy of Paramount, and Universal Studios Home Entertainment has given the cult sci-fi classic It Came From Outer Space the HD treatment as well.
Other notable home entertainment titles arriving on February 14th include Stake Land II, Star Trek: Enterprise: The Complete Collection, Blood Brothers, Creature Lake, Freshwater, The Horde, and The Crooked Man.
Arrival (Paramount, 4K Blu, Blu/Digital HD & DVD)
When mysterious spacecrafts touch down across the globe, an elite team - led by expert codebreaker Louise Banks (Amy Adams) - is brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and...
Other notable home entertainment titles arriving on February 14th include Stake Land II, Star Trek: Enterprise: The Complete Collection, Blood Brothers, Creature Lake, Freshwater, The Horde, and The Crooked Man.
Arrival (Paramount, 4K Blu, Blu/Digital HD & DVD)
When mysterious spacecrafts touch down across the globe, an elite team - led by expert codebreaker Louise Banks (Amy Adams) - is brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and...
- 2/14/2017
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Author: Chris Haydon
Ferocious, unpredictable, and all-powerful, the silver screen’s history is laden with spectacular monsters. From intergalactic invaders and prehistoric prowlers, to those fearful foes who take residence a little closer to home, the cinema has produced many monster movies whose creatures fill us with dread every time we settle in and watch their adventures.
To celebrate the launch of the Sony Movie Channel on Freeview and Virgin on the 10th of January, we’ve taken the time to rank the leanest, meanest, and downright biggest monster movies of them all. Spanning decades of directorial talent and a multitude of genres, here is our definitive list…
10. Godzilla (1998)
There have been many big-screen variations of the classic Japanese monster, dating back as far as the 1950s, but few outings for the legendary God of Destruction are quite as overlooked as Roland Emmerich’s 1998 rendition. Let loose in America’s beloved New York City,...
Ferocious, unpredictable, and all-powerful, the silver screen’s history is laden with spectacular monsters. From intergalactic invaders and prehistoric prowlers, to those fearful foes who take residence a little closer to home, the cinema has produced many monster movies whose creatures fill us with dread every time we settle in and watch their adventures.
To celebrate the launch of the Sony Movie Channel on Freeview and Virgin on the 10th of January, we’ve taken the time to rank the leanest, meanest, and downright biggest monster movies of them all. Spanning decades of directorial talent and a multitude of genres, here is our definitive list…
10. Godzilla (1998)
There have been many big-screen variations of the classic Japanese monster, dating back as far as the 1950s, but few outings for the legendary God of Destruction are quite as overlooked as Roland Emmerich’s 1998 rendition. Let loose in America’s beloved New York City,...
- 1/10/2017
- by Chris Haydon
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
By Hank Reineke
Curt Siodmak’s The Magnetic Monster is one of the more thoughtful – and thought provoking - science-fiction films of the era. Produced by Ivan Tors (whom would share screenplay credit with Siodmak), this intriguing 1953 release from United Artists is a cerebral, worthy addition to the classic sci-fi canon. Its likely most fondly remembered among devotees of 1950s sci-fi for whom the presence of a rubber-suited monster is not a prerequisite.
Richard Carlson (It Came From Outer Space, The Creature from the Black Lagoon) essays the role of Dr. Jeffrey Stewart, a brilliant graduate of Boston’s M.I.T. now working for the Osi (Office of Scientific Investigation). Stewart and his assistant, the bespectacled egghead Dr. Dan Forbes (King Donovan) are self-described “Detectives with Degrees in Science.” They’re government “A-Men,” the “A” prefix representative of their pedigree in atomic energy research. The two are called by...
Curt Siodmak’s The Magnetic Monster is one of the more thoughtful – and thought provoking - science-fiction films of the era. Produced by Ivan Tors (whom would share screenplay credit with Siodmak), this intriguing 1953 release from United Artists is a cerebral, worthy addition to the classic sci-fi canon. Its likely most fondly remembered among devotees of 1950s sci-fi for whom the presence of a rubber-suited monster is not a prerequisite.
Richard Carlson (It Came From Outer Space, The Creature from the Black Lagoon) essays the role of Dr. Jeffrey Stewart, a brilliant graduate of Boston’s M.I.T. now working for the Osi (Office of Scientific Investigation). Stewart and his assistant, the bespectacled egghead Dr. Dan Forbes (King Donovan) are self-described “Detectives with Degrees in Science.” They’re government “A-Men,” the “A” prefix representative of their pedigree in atomic energy research. The two are called by...
- 12/14/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
It’s a powerful plea against the death penalty, but also an Oscar bid for a fiery actress. And don’t forget the cool jazz music score. On top of this Robert Wise adds a formerly- taboo sequence, a realistic depiction of an execution in the gas chamber. Of such things were gritty, hard-hitting reputations made.
I Want to Live!
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1958 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 121 min. / Street Date November 15, 2016 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95
Starring Susan Hayward, Simon Oakland, Theodore Bikel, Virginia Vincent, Wesley Lau, Philip Coolidge.
Cinematography Lionel Lindon
Original Music Johnny Mandel
Written by Nelson Gidding, Don M. Mankiewicz
Produced by Walter Wanger (for Joseph Mankiewicz)
Directed by Robert Wise
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Robert Wise’s I Want to Live! from 1958 is a Can of Worms movie… start discussing its subject matter, and opinions immediately become a stumbling block. So I’ll...
I Want to Live!
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1958 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 121 min. / Street Date November 15, 2016 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95
Starring Susan Hayward, Simon Oakland, Theodore Bikel, Virginia Vincent, Wesley Lau, Philip Coolidge.
Cinematography Lionel Lindon
Original Music Johnny Mandel
Written by Nelson Gidding, Don M. Mankiewicz
Produced by Walter Wanger (for Joseph Mankiewicz)
Directed by Robert Wise
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Robert Wise’s I Want to Live! from 1958 is a Can of Worms movie… start discussing its subject matter, and opinions immediately become a stumbling block. So I’ll...
- 12/13/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Are you 3-D capable? This classic-era Sci-fi is one of the better '50s films ever designed for 3-D, and the restoration on this much-coveted new release is excellent. Meteors explode in your face! A rockslide in your lap! Bizarre superimpositions! Ray gun blasts! And don't forget Ray Bradbury's feel-good sense of wonder speeches, from wide-eyed Richard Carlson. It Came from Outer Space 3-D 3-D Blu-ray Universal Home Video 1953 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 82 min. / Street Date October 4, 2016 / at present a Best Buy exclusive Starring Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush, Charles Drake, Joe Sawyer, Russell Johnson, Kathleen Hughes Cinematography Clifford Stine Art Direction Robert Boyle Makeup and Special effects Jack Kevan, Bud Westmore, David S. Horsley, Milicent Patrick. Film Editor Paul Weatherwax Original Music Irving Gertz, Henry Mancini, Herman Stein Written by Harry Essex from a story by Ray Bradbury Produced by William Alland Directed by Jack Arnold
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson...
- 10/8/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, Sam Moffitt, and Tom Stockman
Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films such as Jason And The Argonauts and The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad passed away in 2013 at age 92. In 1933, the then-13-year-old Ray Harryhausen saw King Kong at a Hollywood theater and was inspired – not only by Kong, who was clearly not just a man in a gorilla suit, but also by the dinosaurs. He came out of the theatre “stunned and haunted. They looked absolutely lifelike … I wanted to know how it was done.” It was done by using stop-motion animation: jointed models filmed one frame at a time to simulate movement. Harryhausen was to become the prime exponent of the technique and its combination with live action. The influence of Harryhausen on film luminaries like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and...
Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films such as Jason And The Argonauts and The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad passed away in 2013 at age 92. In 1933, the then-13-year-old Ray Harryhausen saw King Kong at a Hollywood theater and was inspired – not only by Kong, who was clearly not just a man in a gorilla suit, but also by the dinosaurs. He came out of the theatre “stunned and haunted. They looked absolutely lifelike … I wanted to know how it was done.” It was done by using stop-motion animation: jointed models filmed one frame at a time to simulate movement. Harryhausen was to become the prime exponent of the technique and its combination with live action. The influence of Harryhausen on film luminaries like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and...
- 6/29/2016
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Opening on June 24th is director Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day: Resurgence.
We always knew they were coming back. After Independence Day redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter delivers global spectacle on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.
The film stars Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, Vivica A. Fox, Brent Spiner, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jessie Usher, Maika Monroe, and Sela Ward.
Looking for some otherworldly films to check out before you head out to the cinemas on Friday? Have a look at Wamg’s list for Alien Invasion Movies To See Before Independence Day: Resurgence!
Earth Vs...
We always knew they were coming back. After Independence Day redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter delivers global spectacle on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.
The film stars Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, Vivica A. Fox, Brent Spiner, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jessie Usher, Maika Monroe, and Sela Ward.
Looking for some otherworldly films to check out before you head out to the cinemas on Friday? Have a look at Wamg’s list for Alien Invasion Movies To See Before Independence Day: Resurgence!
Earth Vs...
- 6/19/2016
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Ivan Tors and Curt Siodmak 'borrow' nine minutes of dynamite special effects from an obscure-because-suppressed German sci-fi picture, write a new script, and come up with an eccentric thriller where atom scientists behave like G-Men crossed with Albert Einstein. The challenge? How to make a faceless unstable atomic isotope into a worthy science fiction 'monster.' The Magnetic Monster Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1953 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 76 min. / Street Date June 14, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Richard Carlson, King Donovan, Jean Byron, Leonard Mudie, Byron Foulger, Michael Fox, Frank Gerstle, Charles Williams, Kathleen Freeman, Strother Martin, Jarma Lewis. Cinematography Charles Van Enger Supervising Film Editor Herbert L. Strock Original Music Blaine Sanford Written by Curt Siodmak, Ivan Tors Produced by Ivan Tors Directed by Curt Siodmak
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
How did we ever survive without an "Office of Scientific Investigation?" In the early 1950s, producer Ivan Tors launched himself with a trio of science fiction movies based on that non-existent government entity, sort of an FBI for strange scientific phenomena. As of this writing, Kino has released a terrific 3-D Blu-ray of the third entry, 1954's Gog. The second Tors Osi mini-epic is the interesting, if scientifically scrambled Riders to the Stars, which shows up from time to time on TCM but has yet to find its way to home video in any format. The first of the series, 1953's The Magnetic Monster is considered the most scientifically interesting, although it mainly promotes its own laundry list of goofy notions about physics and chemistry. As it pretends that it is based on scientific ideas instead of rubber-suited monsters, Tors' abstract threat is more than just another 'thing' trying to abduct the leading lady. Exploiting the common fear of radiation, a force little understood by the general public, The Magnetic Monster invents a whole new secret government bureau dedicated to solving 'dangerous scientific problems' -- the inference being, of course, that there's always something threatening about science. Actually, producer Tors was probably inspired by his partner Curt Siodmak to take advantage of a fantastic special effects opportunity that a small show like Magnetic could normally never afford. More on that later. The script plays like an episode of Dragnet, substituting scientific detectives for L.A.P.D. gumshoes. Top-kick nuclear troubleshooter Dr. Jeff Stewart (Richard Carlson) can't afford to buy a tract home for his pregnant wife Connie (beautiful Jean Byron, later of The Patty Duke Show). He is one of just a few dauntless Osi operatives standing between us and scientific disaster. When local cops route a weird distress call to the Osi office, Jeff and his Phd. sidekick Dan Forbes (King Donovan) discover that someone has been tampering with an unstable isotope in a room above a housewares store on Lincoln Blvd.: every metallic object in the store has become magnetized. The agents trace the explosive element to one Dr. Serny (Michael Fox), whose "lone wolf" experiments have created a new monster element, a Unipolar watchamacallit sometimes referred to as Serranium. If not 'fed' huge amounts of energy this new element will implode, expand, and explode again on a predictable timetable. Local efforts to neutralize the element fail, and an entire lab building is destroyed. Dan and Jeff rush the now-larger isotope to a fantastic Canadian "Deltatron" constructed in a super-scientific complex deep under the ocean off Nova Scotia. The plan is to bombard the stuff with so much energy that it will disintegrate harmlessly. But does the Deltatron have enough juice to do the job? Its Canadian supervisor tries to halt the procedure just as the time limit to the next implosion is coming due! Sincere, likeable and quaint, The Magnetic Monster is nevertheless a prime candidate for chuckles, thanks to a screenplay with a high clunk factor. Big cheese scientist Jeff Stewart interrupts his experimental bombardment of metals in his atom smasher to go out on blind neighborhood calls, dispensing atom know-how like a pizza deliveryman. He takes time out to make fat jokes at the expense of the lab's switchboard operator, the charming Kathleen Freeman. The Osi's super-computer provides instant answers to various mysteries. Its name in this show is the acronym M.A.N.I.A.C.. Was naming differential analyzers some kind of a fetish with early computer men? Quick, which '50s Sci-fi gem has a computer named S.U.S.I.E.? The strange isotope harnesses a vague amalgam of nuclear and magnetic forces. It might seem logical to small kids just learning about the invisible wonder of magnetism -- and that understand none of it. All the silverware at the store sticks together. It is odd, but not enough to cause the sexy blonde saleswoman (Elizabeth Root) to scream and jump as if goosed by Our Friend the Atom. When a call comes in that a taxi's engine has become magnetized, our agents are slow to catch on. Gee, could that crazy event be related to our mystery element? When the culprit scientist is finally tracked down, and pulled off an airliner, he's already near death from overexposure to his own creation. We admire Dr. Serny, who after all managed to create a new element on his own, without benefit of a billion dollar physics lab. He also must be a prize dope for not realizing that the resulting radiation would kill him. The Osi troubleshooters deliver a stern lesson that all of us need to remember: "In nuclear research there is no place for lone wolves." If you think about it, the agency's function is to protect us from science itself, with blame leveled at individual, free-thinking, 'rogue' brainiacs. (Sarcasm alert.) The danger in nuclear research comes not from mad militarists trying to make bigger and more awful bombs; the villains are those crackpots cooking up end-of-the-world scenarios in their home workshops. Dr. Serny probably didn't even have a security clearance! The Magnetic Monster has a delightful gaffe in every scene. When a dangerous isotope is said to be 'on the loose,' a police radio order is broadcast to Shoot To Kill ... Shoot what exactly, they don't say. This line could very well have been invented in the film's audio mix, if producer Tors thought the scene needed an extra jolt. Despite the fact that writer-director Curt Siodmak cooked up the brilliant concept of Donovan's Brain and personally invented a bona fide classic monster mythology, his '50s sci-fi efforts strain credibility in all directions. As I explain in the Gold review, Siodmak may have been the one to come up with the idea of repurposing the climax of the old film. He was a refugee from Hitler's Germany, and had written a film with director Karl Hartl. Reading accounts in books by Tom Weaver and Bill Warren, we learn that the writer Siodmak had difficulty functioning as a director and that credited editor Herbert Strock stepped in to direct. Strock later claimed that the noted writer was indecisive on the set. The truly remarkable aspect of The Magnetic Monster comes in the last reel, when Jeff and Dan take an elevator ride way, way down to Canada's subterranean, sub-Atlantic Deltatron atom-smasher. They're suddenly wearing styles not worn in the early 'fifties -- big blocky coats and wide-brimmed hats. The answer comes when they step out into a wild mad-lab construction worthy of the visuals in Metropolis. A giant power station is outfitted with oversized white porcelain insulators -- even a set of stairs looks like an insulator. Atop the control booth is an array of (giant, what else) glass tubes with glowing neon lights inside. Cables and wires go every which-way. A crew of workers in wrinkled shop suits stands about like extras from The Three-Penny Opera. For quite some time, only readers of old issues of Famous Monsters of Filmland knew the secret of this bizarre footage, which is actually from the 1934 German sci-fi thriller Gold, directed by Karl Hartl and starring Hans Albers and Brigitte Helm. Tors and Siodmak do their best to integrate Richard Carlson and King Donovan into this spectacular twenty-year-old stock footage, even though the extravagant production values and the expressionist patina of the Ufa visuals are a gross mismatch for The Magnetic Monster's '50s semi-docu look. Jeff's wide hat and David Byrne coat are there to make him look more like Hans Albers in the 1934 film, which doesn't work because Albers must be four inches taller and forty pounds beefier than Richard Carlson. Jeff climbs around the Deltatron, enters a control booth and argues with the Canadian scientist/turnkey, who is a much better match for the villain of Gold. Jeff changes into a different costume, with a different cap -- so he can match Albers in the different scene in Gold. The exciting climax repurposes the extravagant special effects of Otto Hunte and Günther Rittau, changing the original film's attempted atomic alchemy into a desperate attempt to neutralize the nasty new element before it can explode again. The matching works rather well for Jeff's desperate struggle to close an enormous pair of bulkhead doors that have been sabotaged. And a matched cut on a whip pan from center stage to a high control room is very nicely integrated into the old footage. The bizarre scene doesn't quite come off... even kids must have known that older footage was being used. In the long shots, Richard Carlson doesn't look anything like Hans Albers. A fuel-rod plunger in the control room displays a German-style cross, even though the corresponding instrument in the original show wasn't so decorated. Some impressive close-up views of a blob of metal being bombarded by atomic particles are from the old movie, and others are new effects. Metallurgy is scary, man. The "Serranium" threat establishes a pattern touched upon by later Sci-fi movies with organic or abstract forces that grow from relative insignificance to world-threatening proportions. The Monolith Monsters proposes giant crystals that grow to the size of skyscrapers, threatening to cover the earth with a giant quartz-pile. The Sam Katzman quickie The Day the World Exploded makes The Magnetic Monster look like an expensive production. It invents a new mineral that explodes when exposed to air. The supporting cast of The Magnetic Monster gives us some pleasant, familiar faces. In addition to the beloved Kathleen Freeman is Strother Martin as a concerned airline pilot. Fussy Byron Foulger owns the housewares store and granite-jawed Frank Gerstle (Gristle?) is a gruff general. The gorgeous Jarma Lewis has a quick bit as a stewardess. The Kl Studio Classics Blu-ray of The Magnetic Monster is a fine transfer of this B&W gem from United Artists. Once hard to see, it was part of an expensive MGM-Image laserdisc set twenty years ago and then an Mod DVD in 2011. The disc comes with a socko original trailer that explains why it did reasonably well at the box office. Every exciting moment is edited into a coming attraction that really hypes the jeopardy factor. At that time, just the sight of a hero in a radiation suit promised something unusual. Nowadays, Hazardous Waste workers use suits like that to clean up common chemical spills. The commentary for The Magnetic Monster is by Fangoria writer Derek Botelho, whose name is misspelled as Botello on the disc package. I've heard Derek on a couple of David del Valle tracks for Vincent Price movies, where he functioned mainly as an Ed McMahon-like fan sidekick. His talk tends to drift into loosely related sidebar observations. Instead of discussing how the movie was made by cannibalizing another, he recounts for us the comedy stock footage discovery scene from Tim Burton's Ed Wood. Several pages recited from memoirs by Curt Siodmak and Herbert Strock do provide useful information on the film. Botelho appreciates actress Kathleen Freeman. You can't go wrong doing that. Viewers that obtain Kino's concurrent Blu-ray release of the original 1934 German thriller Gold will note that the repurposed scenes from that film look much better here, although they still bear some scratches. On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, The Magnetic Monster Blu-ray rates: Movie: Good + Video: Very Good Sound: Excellent Supplements: Commentary with Derek Botelho, Theatrical trailer Deaf and Hearing Impaired Friendly? N0; Subtitles: None Packaging: Keep case Reviewed: June 8, 2016 (5138magn)
Visit DVD Savant's Main Column Page Glenn Erickson answers most reader mail: dvdsavant@mindspring.com
Text © Copyright 2016 Glenn Erickson...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
How did we ever survive without an "Office of Scientific Investigation?" In the early 1950s, producer Ivan Tors launched himself with a trio of science fiction movies based on that non-existent government entity, sort of an FBI for strange scientific phenomena. As of this writing, Kino has released a terrific 3-D Blu-ray of the third entry, 1954's Gog. The second Tors Osi mini-epic is the interesting, if scientifically scrambled Riders to the Stars, which shows up from time to time on TCM but has yet to find its way to home video in any format. The first of the series, 1953's The Magnetic Monster is considered the most scientifically interesting, although it mainly promotes its own laundry list of goofy notions about physics and chemistry. As it pretends that it is based on scientific ideas instead of rubber-suited monsters, Tors' abstract threat is more than just another 'thing' trying to abduct the leading lady. Exploiting the common fear of radiation, a force little understood by the general public, The Magnetic Monster invents a whole new secret government bureau dedicated to solving 'dangerous scientific problems' -- the inference being, of course, that there's always something threatening about science. Actually, producer Tors was probably inspired by his partner Curt Siodmak to take advantage of a fantastic special effects opportunity that a small show like Magnetic could normally never afford. More on that later. The script plays like an episode of Dragnet, substituting scientific detectives for L.A.P.D. gumshoes. Top-kick nuclear troubleshooter Dr. Jeff Stewart (Richard Carlson) can't afford to buy a tract home for his pregnant wife Connie (beautiful Jean Byron, later of The Patty Duke Show). He is one of just a few dauntless Osi operatives standing between us and scientific disaster. When local cops route a weird distress call to the Osi office, Jeff and his Phd. sidekick Dan Forbes (King Donovan) discover that someone has been tampering with an unstable isotope in a room above a housewares store on Lincoln Blvd.: every metallic object in the store has become magnetized. The agents trace the explosive element to one Dr. Serny (Michael Fox), whose "lone wolf" experiments have created a new monster element, a Unipolar watchamacallit sometimes referred to as Serranium. If not 'fed' huge amounts of energy this new element will implode, expand, and explode again on a predictable timetable. Local efforts to neutralize the element fail, and an entire lab building is destroyed. Dan and Jeff rush the now-larger isotope to a fantastic Canadian "Deltatron" constructed in a super-scientific complex deep under the ocean off Nova Scotia. The plan is to bombard the stuff with so much energy that it will disintegrate harmlessly. But does the Deltatron have enough juice to do the job? Its Canadian supervisor tries to halt the procedure just as the time limit to the next implosion is coming due! Sincere, likeable and quaint, The Magnetic Monster is nevertheless a prime candidate for chuckles, thanks to a screenplay with a high clunk factor. Big cheese scientist Jeff Stewart interrupts his experimental bombardment of metals in his atom smasher to go out on blind neighborhood calls, dispensing atom know-how like a pizza deliveryman. He takes time out to make fat jokes at the expense of the lab's switchboard operator, the charming Kathleen Freeman. The Osi's super-computer provides instant answers to various mysteries. Its name in this show is the acronym M.A.N.I.A.C.. Was naming differential analyzers some kind of a fetish with early computer men? Quick, which '50s Sci-fi gem has a computer named S.U.S.I.E.? The strange isotope harnesses a vague amalgam of nuclear and magnetic forces. It might seem logical to small kids just learning about the invisible wonder of magnetism -- and that understand none of it. All the silverware at the store sticks together. It is odd, but not enough to cause the sexy blonde saleswoman (Elizabeth Root) to scream and jump as if goosed by Our Friend the Atom. When a call comes in that a taxi's engine has become magnetized, our agents are slow to catch on. Gee, could that crazy event be related to our mystery element? When the culprit scientist is finally tracked down, and pulled off an airliner, he's already near death from overexposure to his own creation. We admire Dr. Serny, who after all managed to create a new element on his own, without benefit of a billion dollar physics lab. He also must be a prize dope for not realizing that the resulting radiation would kill him. The Osi troubleshooters deliver a stern lesson that all of us need to remember: "In nuclear research there is no place for lone wolves." If you think about it, the agency's function is to protect us from science itself, with blame leveled at individual, free-thinking, 'rogue' brainiacs. (Sarcasm alert.) The danger in nuclear research comes not from mad militarists trying to make bigger and more awful bombs; the villains are those crackpots cooking up end-of-the-world scenarios in their home workshops. Dr. Serny probably didn't even have a security clearance! The Magnetic Monster has a delightful gaffe in every scene. When a dangerous isotope is said to be 'on the loose,' a police radio order is broadcast to Shoot To Kill ... Shoot what exactly, they don't say. This line could very well have been invented in the film's audio mix, if producer Tors thought the scene needed an extra jolt. Despite the fact that writer-director Curt Siodmak cooked up the brilliant concept of Donovan's Brain and personally invented a bona fide classic monster mythology, his '50s sci-fi efforts strain credibility in all directions. As I explain in the Gold review, Siodmak may have been the one to come up with the idea of repurposing the climax of the old film. He was a refugee from Hitler's Germany, and had written a film with director Karl Hartl. Reading accounts in books by Tom Weaver and Bill Warren, we learn that the writer Siodmak had difficulty functioning as a director and that credited editor Herbert Strock stepped in to direct. Strock later claimed that the noted writer was indecisive on the set. The truly remarkable aspect of The Magnetic Monster comes in the last reel, when Jeff and Dan take an elevator ride way, way down to Canada's subterranean, sub-Atlantic Deltatron atom-smasher. They're suddenly wearing styles not worn in the early 'fifties -- big blocky coats and wide-brimmed hats. The answer comes when they step out into a wild mad-lab construction worthy of the visuals in Metropolis. A giant power station is outfitted with oversized white porcelain insulators -- even a set of stairs looks like an insulator. Atop the control booth is an array of (giant, what else) glass tubes with glowing neon lights inside. Cables and wires go every which-way. A crew of workers in wrinkled shop suits stands about like extras from The Three-Penny Opera. For quite some time, only readers of old issues of Famous Monsters of Filmland knew the secret of this bizarre footage, which is actually from the 1934 German sci-fi thriller Gold, directed by Karl Hartl and starring Hans Albers and Brigitte Helm. Tors and Siodmak do their best to integrate Richard Carlson and King Donovan into this spectacular twenty-year-old stock footage, even though the extravagant production values and the expressionist patina of the Ufa visuals are a gross mismatch for The Magnetic Monster's '50s semi-docu look. Jeff's wide hat and David Byrne coat are there to make him look more like Hans Albers in the 1934 film, which doesn't work because Albers must be four inches taller and forty pounds beefier than Richard Carlson. Jeff climbs around the Deltatron, enters a control booth and argues with the Canadian scientist/turnkey, who is a much better match for the villain of Gold. Jeff changes into a different costume, with a different cap -- so he can match Albers in the different scene in Gold. The exciting climax repurposes the extravagant special effects of Otto Hunte and Günther Rittau, changing the original film's attempted atomic alchemy into a desperate attempt to neutralize the nasty new element before it can explode again. The matching works rather well for Jeff's desperate struggle to close an enormous pair of bulkhead doors that have been sabotaged. And a matched cut on a whip pan from center stage to a high control room is very nicely integrated into the old footage. The bizarre scene doesn't quite come off... even kids must have known that older footage was being used. In the long shots, Richard Carlson doesn't look anything like Hans Albers. A fuel-rod plunger in the control room displays a German-style cross, even though the corresponding instrument in the original show wasn't so decorated. Some impressive close-up views of a blob of metal being bombarded by atomic particles are from the old movie, and others are new effects. Metallurgy is scary, man. The "Serranium" threat establishes a pattern touched upon by later Sci-fi movies with organic or abstract forces that grow from relative insignificance to world-threatening proportions. The Monolith Monsters proposes giant crystals that grow to the size of skyscrapers, threatening to cover the earth with a giant quartz-pile. The Sam Katzman quickie The Day the World Exploded makes The Magnetic Monster look like an expensive production. It invents a new mineral that explodes when exposed to air. The supporting cast of The Magnetic Monster gives us some pleasant, familiar faces. In addition to the beloved Kathleen Freeman is Strother Martin as a concerned airline pilot. Fussy Byron Foulger owns the housewares store and granite-jawed Frank Gerstle (Gristle?) is a gruff general. The gorgeous Jarma Lewis has a quick bit as a stewardess. The Kl Studio Classics Blu-ray of The Magnetic Monster is a fine transfer of this B&W gem from United Artists. Once hard to see, it was part of an expensive MGM-Image laserdisc set twenty years ago and then an Mod DVD in 2011. The disc comes with a socko original trailer that explains why it did reasonably well at the box office. Every exciting moment is edited into a coming attraction that really hypes the jeopardy factor. At that time, just the sight of a hero in a radiation suit promised something unusual. Nowadays, Hazardous Waste workers use suits like that to clean up common chemical spills. The commentary for The Magnetic Monster is by Fangoria writer Derek Botelho, whose name is misspelled as Botello on the disc package. I've heard Derek on a couple of David del Valle tracks for Vincent Price movies, where he functioned mainly as an Ed McMahon-like fan sidekick. His talk tends to drift into loosely related sidebar observations. Instead of discussing how the movie was made by cannibalizing another, he recounts for us the comedy stock footage discovery scene from Tim Burton's Ed Wood. Several pages recited from memoirs by Curt Siodmak and Herbert Strock do provide useful information on the film. Botelho appreciates actress Kathleen Freeman. You can't go wrong doing that. Viewers that obtain Kino's concurrent Blu-ray release of the original 1934 German thriller Gold will note that the repurposed scenes from that film look much better here, although they still bear some scratches. On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, The Magnetic Monster Blu-ray rates: Movie: Good + Video: Very Good Sound: Excellent Supplements: Commentary with Derek Botelho, Theatrical trailer Deaf and Hearing Impaired Friendly? N0; Subtitles: None Packaging: Keep case Reviewed: June 8, 2016 (5138magn)
Visit DVD Savant's Main Column Page Glenn Erickson answers most reader mail: dvdsavant@mindspring.com
Text © Copyright 2016 Glenn Erickson...
- 6/14/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Jim Knipfel Mar 8, 2019
The Creature From the Black Lagoon kicked off one of the most successful trilogies in early horror movie history.
The poor Gill Man never had a chance. Arriving six years after the golden age of Universal Horror was capped with Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, 1954’s The Creature from the Black Lagoon was never able to clumsily shuffle his way into the expanded universe shared by Dracula, The Wolf Man, Frankenstein’s Monster, and, if briefly, The Invisible Man.
Of course, given the three-film franchise’s contemporary time frame and American setting, it would’ve been a stretch anyway to find some reason to have him mix it up with the Wolf Man. In that way, the Gill Man was like the Mummy, forced to carry his series alone. Even if this aquatic fish face would go on to become the most iconic and influential cinematic monster of the 1950s,...
The Creature From the Black Lagoon kicked off one of the most successful trilogies in early horror movie history.
The poor Gill Man never had a chance. Arriving six years after the golden age of Universal Horror was capped with Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, 1954’s The Creature from the Black Lagoon was never able to clumsily shuffle his way into the expanded universe shared by Dracula, The Wolf Man, Frankenstein’s Monster, and, if briefly, The Invisible Man.
Of course, given the three-film franchise’s contemporary time frame and American setting, it would’ve been a stretch anyway to find some reason to have him mix it up with the Wolf Man. In that way, the Gill Man was like the Mummy, forced to carry his series alone. Even if this aquatic fish face would go on to become the most iconic and influential cinematic monster of the 1950s,...
- 5/10/2016
- Den of Geek
This noir hits with the force of a blast furnace -- Cy Endfield's wrenching tale of social neglect and injustice will tie your stomach in knots. Sound like fun? An unemployed man turns to crime and reaps a whirlwind of disproportionate retribution. It's surely the most powerful of all filmic accusations thrown at the American status quo. Try and Get Me! Blu-ray Olive Films 1950 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 92 min. / Street Date April 19, 2016 / The Sound of Fury / available through the Olive Films website / 29.95 Starring Frank Lovejoy, Kathleen Ryan, Richard Carlson, Lloyd Bridges, Katherine Locke, Adele Jergens, Art Smith, Renzo Cesana, Irene Vernon, Cliff Clark, Donald Smelick, Joe E. Ross. Cinematography Guy Roe Production Design Perry Ferguson Film Editor George Amy Original Music Hugo Friedhofer Written by Jo Pagano from his novel The Condemned Produced by Robert Stillman Directed by Cyril Endfield
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Socially conscious 'issue' movies are not all made equal.
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Socially conscious 'issue' movies are not all made equal.
- 4/15/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Close-Up is a column that spotlights films now playing on Mubi. The Little Foxes is playing on Mubi in the Us February 15 through March 15, 2016.William Wyler and Bette Davis had a good thing going by the time of The Little Foxes (1941). Wyler had three (of his eventually 12) Academy Award nominations and he had directed the star in two Oscar-worthy performances of her own: Jezebel (1938), for which she won, and The Letter (1940), for which she didn’t. Though it would grow increasingly contentious, their association was nonetheless mutually productive, and while Davis may have been reluctant to take on the role played to great acclaim by Tallulah Bankhead in Lillian Hellman’s stage version of The Little Foxes, the resulting feature film trumped the trepidation. Set in the indistinct though suitably decrepit “Deep South” circa 1900, the backdrop is just vague enough to be regionally collective but just specific enough to be wholly unique.
- 2/22/2016
- by Jeremy Carr
- MUBI
Teresa Wright ca. 1945. Teresa Wright movies on TCM: 'The Little Foxes,' 'The Pride of the Yankees' Pretty, talented Teresa Wright made a relatively small number of movies: 28 in all, over the course of more than half a century. Most of her films have already been shown on Turner Classic Movies, so it's more than a little disappointing that TCM will not be presenting Teresa Wright rarities such as The Imperfect Lady and The Trouble with Women – two 1947 releases co-starring Ray Milland – on Aug. 4, '15, a "Summer Under the Stars" day dedicated to the only performer to date to have been shortlisted for Academy Awards for their first three film roles. TCM's Teresa Wright day would also have benefited from a presentation of The Search for Bridey Murphy (1956), an unusual entry – parapsychology, reincarnation – in the Wright movie canon and/or Roseland (1977), a little-remembered entry in James Ivory's canon.
- 8/4/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Behind Locked Doors
Written by Eugene Ling and Malvin Wald
Directed by Budd Boetticher
U.S.A., 1948
When newspaper reporter Kathy Lawrence (Lucille Bremer) walks into private detective Ross Stewart’s (Richard Carlson) office, he thinks he’s just hit the jackpot seeing as she represents his first ever client. Little does he know that the investigation the alluring Ms. Lawrence needs assistance with will tax Ross of far more moral and psychological stamina than he could ever have bargained for. It seems Kathy has a lead as to where the recently convicted Judge Finlay Drake (Herbert Heyes) might have taken refuge from pursuing authorities: a mental institution. With a 10 thousand dollar reward promised to anyone who can help the police book the renegade judge, Ross accepts to play act as Kathy’s manic-depressive husband who needs time under doctoral supervision. Once instituted, Ross snoops about to learn whether or...
Written by Eugene Ling and Malvin Wald
Directed by Budd Boetticher
U.S.A., 1948
When newspaper reporter Kathy Lawrence (Lucille Bremer) walks into private detective Ross Stewart’s (Richard Carlson) office, he thinks he’s just hit the jackpot seeing as she represents his first ever client. Little does he know that the investigation the alluring Ms. Lawrence needs assistance with will tax Ross of far more moral and psychological stamina than he could ever have bargained for. It seems Kathy has a lead as to where the recently convicted Judge Finlay Drake (Herbert Heyes) might have taken refuge from pursuing authorities: a mental institution. With a 10 thousand dollar reward promised to anyone who can help the police book the renegade judge, Ross accepts to play act as Kathy’s manic-depressive husband who needs time under doctoral supervision. Once instituted, Ross snoops about to learn whether or...
- 6/12/2015
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
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