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“When you see them come down those stairs,” Herbert Marshall says at a climactic moment in The Enchanted Cottage, “whatever they do, whatever they say, act along with them. They don’t know it. But they’re playing a part.”

John Cromwell’s 1945 romance tells the story of a disfigured war veteran who falls in love with a––to use the film’s terminology––“homely” young woman. What starts as a courtship for companionship blossoms into true love, and the magic of the cottage makes each more beautiful, if only to one another.

The theme of the festival this year was “Grand Illusions: Fantastic Worlds on Film.” The Enchanted Cottage, an expression of the beauty we all see in those we love, provides precisely a template through which to consider it. While “fantastic worlds” might suggest sci-fi and fantasy, so much of classic cinema engages with a level of obvious fantasy.

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Everyone knows Batman's origin story. Let's see if we can condense it into a few simple sentence fragments, the way that Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's "All-Star Superman" did for its lead hero.

Rich couple. Mugging gone wrong. Orphaned son. A Dark Knight.

People often complain that Batman movies put too much focus on the death of his parents. But while Thomas and Martha Wayne are (almost) always doomed as Bruce's origin story, different films offer different interpretations of it.

Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" wasn't the first film to show the Wayne murders, but it was the first to show how Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) moved on from that tragedy to become Batman. The film bases its first act on Dennis O'Neil and Dick Giordano's 1989 comic, "The Man Who Falls," showing Bruce traveling the world and learning...

Why Did Tom Cruise Turnn Down The Role Of Steven Spielberg’s Zorro? (Photo Credit – Koimoi)

Tom Cruise almost became Zorro, but even he knew it wasn’t the right call. Before Antonio Banderas put on the mask in The Mask of Zorro, Cruise was on Steven Spielberg’s radar for the role. And while Hollywood’s ultimate action star has taken on almost every daredevil gig, this one didn’t make the cut – for a surprisingly bold reason.

Cinematographer Mikael Salomon, who was once attached to direct The Legend of Zorro, revealed the surprising casting consideration while speaking in an interview with Slash Film for the 25th anniversary of The Mask of Zorro. According to Salomon, Spielberg, an executive producer on the film, had Cruise in mind for Don Alejandro de la Vega.

But Salomon saw trouble ahead. “He wanted to offer it to Tom Cruise,” he said during...

The teaser trailer for director James Gunn’s newest movie version of Superman was recently released online. And, unlike previous films, this one has a cute dog that everyone seems to already love.

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Of course, Superman has proven to be one of the most enduring heroes in the history of pop culture, even surviving John Cleese’s awkward take on the character. But this multibillion dollar franchise began as a simple idea from two guys who were eventually screwed out of those billions of dollars: Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Also, it could be argued that the character of Superman wouldn’t be quite the same if not for the influence of one of Canada’s most famous comedians: Joe’s cousin Frank Shuster.

Frank, along with Johnny Wayne, performed as the comedy duo Wayne and Shuster for decades. They had their own shows on radio and television in Canada,...

Brad Pitt's character in "Babylon," Jack Conrad, mirrors real 1920s actors like John Gilbert, Douglas Fairbanks, and Rudolph Valentino. Conrad's tragic death in response to Hollywood's transition to sound films reflects the struggles of many silent era stars. "Babylon" features fictional characters inspired by real Hollywood figures, exploring the industry's shift from silent to sound films.

This article contains mention of suicide and substance abuse.

With Babylon's in-depth look into a certain period in Hollywood history, many people wonder if Brad Pitt's Jack Conrad is a real actor. Damien Chazelle's Babylon examines the rise and fall of several stars as 1920s Hollywood transitions from silent movies to talkies. Conrad plays a pivotal part in giving Nellie Laroy (Margot Robbie) and Manny Torres (Diego Calva) their big breaks, even as he feels they could replace him. At a time when the industry was in a great phase of transition,...

Catwoman's new Zorro-inspired suit could unconsciously provoke Batman's traumatic past. In the comic Batman: Gotham by Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age, Catwoman's costume serves as a bold reminder of tragedy. The connection between Catwoman's attire and Batman's origin story adds depth to their potential interactions.

Warning: Potential Spoilers for Batman: Gotham by Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age #1!

The sequel to DCs Gotham by Gaslight, an Elseworlds alternate universe reimagining fan-favorite characters in the 19th century, introduces Selina Kyle's new Catwoman suit, serving as both an ingenious and unintentionally morbid tribute to Batmans tragic origin story. This costume change begs the question: How will the Dark Knight respond to this stark reminder of the most harrowing night of his life?

Catwoman's new costume could be perceived as a form of psychological warfare against Batman.

Andy Diggle, Leandro Fernndez, and Dave Stewarts Batman: Gotham by GaslightThe Kryptonian Age #1 is an...

While both fans and detractors speak of superhero cinema like it began yesterday—or about a decade ago when the Marvel Cinematic Universe came into being—the truth is masked do-gooders are virtually as old as the movies themselves. One of the silver screen’s first great adventurers, Douglas Fairbanks in The Mark of Zorro (1924), was a major influence on Bob Kane and Bill Finger when they created Batman.

As long as there’s been source material with heroes doing daring deeds, there have been producers willing to take a gamble on putting them on the screen. For better or worse that process found its peak synthesis (or corporatized formula) in the 21st century. Yet there was a period just before then—ahead of folks figuring out they should adapt currently popular ‘90s comic book characters like Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Hulk—where the studios went all in on resurrecting something older and,...

From early cinematic works like 1903's The Great Train Robbery and Douglas Fairbanks silents like Robin Hood and The Mark of Zorro, it's been abundantly clear that action films have a singular ability to excite, even to raise the pulse. Swashbuckling films of classical Hollywood, grindhouse films of the '60s and 70s and more modern landmarks like John Wick and The Raid are all essentials for fans of the action genre.

Zorro's unique origin story and all-black costume set the stage for future superheroes, inspiring even Batman's creation. Zorro's popularity spanned across various media, from movies to comics, captivating audiences globally for decades. Actors like Antonio Banderas and Tyrone Power brought new dimensions to the iconic character, making Zorro a timeless hero.

All the actors who played Zorro, from Douglas Fairbanks to Antonio Banderas, had unique takes. The charming vigilante was introduced as the savior of the New Spanish commoners of California in pulp writer Johnston McCulleys 1919 novel The Curse of Capistrano. The nobleman Don Diego de la Vega embraced this alter ego to defend the rights of his people from tyrannical officials and a corrupt law-enforcement system. A trendsetter in the swashbuckler genre, Zorros all-black costume turned him into an early blueprint for future superheroes. The consensus remains that Zorro even inspired the creation of Batman.

Following the immense popularity that Zorro accumulated,...

Batman's no-killing rule isn't always so black and white; he has broken it in various comics and movies. Killing by inaction is another aspect to consider, as Batman's refusal to kill can indirectly lead to death. Each writer's interpretation of Batman influences whether he sticks to his no-killing rule or crosses that line.

What is Batman’s one hard and fast rule? No killing. Or, to be even more precise, not using guns to kill people. This has been a piece of his character since the beginning, and it is one principle that he has no intention of going back on. Right? Well, that isn't entirely true. Even in some of Batman's big-budget outings, like Ben Affleck's portrayal in the Dceu, he has killed.

Despite (mostly) staying true to his no-killing rule, we've seen the character repeatedly go against his ideology. A personal rule can’t be a rule if you constantly break it.

Pulp heroes shaped modern superheroes, with Flash Gordon, Doc Savage, and The Shadow leading the way through thrilling adventures. Filmmaking over the past 100 years has seen mixed results with pulp hero adaptations, from box office flops to hidden gems waiting to be discovered. From Tarzan to Zorro to Buck Rogers, iconic pulp heroes like Conan the Barbarian and The Rocketeer brought thrilling adventures to the big screen.

While the pulp heroes of the past may not be as recognizable as the most popular superheroes of today, they still have plenty of great movie adaptations that viewers should be sure to check out. From masked vigilantes to over-the-top musclemen, pulp heroes acted as the forerunners to modern-day superheroes and originated through inexpensive fiction magazines that provided readers with disposable adventures and peaked in popularity between the 1920s and 1940s. Major heroes of the pulp era included popular characters like Flash Gordon,...

Zorro has inspired numerous adaptations and works due to his role as a masked hero with a secret identity. Notable adaptations include the 1990 TV series, the Disney-produced TV series, and the 1940 film, "The Mark of Zorro." The modern film adaptation, "The Mask of Zorro," starring Antonio Banderas, received critical acclaim for its performances and chemistry between the actors.

Zorro has been adapted to film and TV dozens of times, but in those adaptations, the character has been portrayed with varying degrees of faithfulness. Originally, the masked vigilante was first unveiled to the world in a novel by Johnston McCulley in 1919. It was then developed into a film the following year, increasing its popularity extensively. Zorro's popularity inspired McCulley to continue writing more stories focused on the character, and by the time he passed away, he had written five serialized stories and 57 short stories.

Zorro was one of the first fictional...

After a 31-year absence, Amazon's new Zorro show brings back the traditional formula of the classic hero, focusing on Diego de la Vega and his adventures as Zorro in 1834 California. The last two Zorro movies, The Mask of Zorro and The Legend of Zorro, were not accurate adaptations of the source material, instead featuring a different character named Alejandro Murrieta taking on the Zorro identity. Zorro's recent absence from pop culture makes Amazon's new show even better, as it returns to the original formula and provides viewers with something they haven't seen in 31 years.

There hadn't been a "real" live-action Zorro story in 31 years, though this was finally rectified by Amazon's new show. Starring Miguel Bernardaeu as the titular character, the Spanish-language series from Amazon Prime Video follows the exploits of The Fox in 1834 California. The show was one of several Zorro projects in development, but also the first live-action...

Batman often cited vengence as his primary motivation to become the Caped Crusader, but Batman: The Cult revealed that it was in fact a much more primal emotion driving him: fear Losing his parents in a tragic, violent way left Bruce Wayne scared and alone, and he chose to become Batman to face the fear inside himself. Batman's symbol of fear extends not only to criminals, but also to himself, as he constantly battles his own fears.

While Batman has often stated that he became Batman to avenge his parents murder, and to make sure no one ever went through what he did, that's not exactly true. Bruce admitted the real reason he chose to be Batman a long time ago, and it was not for vengeance.

Batman: The Cult #4 featured a pivotal moment where Batman admitted the truth behind his decision to put on a mask and take to...

With The Mask of Zorro, Antonio Banderas truly marked himself as a genuine star and sex symbol across the globe. While he earned acclaim for his collaborations with Pedro Almodóvar in Spain and made his presence known in the States with Philadelphia and Interview with the Vampire, The Mask of Zorro was his first leading role to near $100 million at the domestic box office. But the iconic swordsman almost had another man behind the mask: Tom Cruise.

According to The Mask of Zorro‘s original director Mikael Salomon, executive producer Steven Spielberg wanted Tom Cruise to star. “Who else was [in the mix]? Some big — oh yeah, Tom Cruise. Early on, [Spielberg] wanted to offer it to him. Have you heard that? He wanted to offer it to Tom Cruise. And my friend and countryman Bille August had done The House of the Spirits with all non-Latinos, and he got in so much hot water because of that,...

These last few years the Criterion Channel have made October viewing much easier to prioritize, and in the spirit of their ’70s and ’80s horror series we’ve graduated to––you guessed it––”’90s Horror.” A couple of obvious classics stand with cult favorites and more unknown entities (When a Stranger Calls Back and Def By Temptation are new to me). Three more series continue the trend: “Technothrillers” does what it says on the tin, courtesy the likes of eXistenZ and Demonlover; “Art-House Horror” is precisely the kind of place to host Cure, Suspiria, Onibaba; and “Pre-Code Horror” is a black-and-white dream. Phantom of the Paradise, Unfriended, and John Brahm’s The Lodger are added elsewhere.

James Gray is the latest with an “Adventures in Moviegoing” series populated by deep cuts and straight classics. Stonewalling and restorations of Trouble Every Day and The Devil, Probably make streaming debuts, while Flesh for Frankenstein,...

Netflix's One Piece took the world by storm when it dropped this past August, swinging the swashbuckler genre back into the limelight in a way not seen since the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. At the forefront of the adaptation was the relatively unknown Iñaki Godoy as the ever-optimistic Monkey D. Luffy, the potential king of the pirates. With a natural charisma that stole every scene, Godoy's performance had to have helped showrunner Steven Maeda feel justified in teasing a second season of One Piece. It wouldn't be surprising, then, to see the talented 20-year-old land more leading roles in the near future.

While Disney is already in the process of bringing a Wilmer Valderrama-led Zorro series to Disney+, Godoy's charming presence as Luffy in One Piece made it impossible not to think of the legendary masked swashbuckler from time to time. Zorro tends to approach most issues with quirky confidence,...

Every genre of film has its starting point. For comedy, it was 1895's L'Arroseur Arrosé (The Sprinkler Sprinkled). In 1901, Fire! was the first drama (or at least the first to string together a series of shots into a narrative). The first surviving animated film came in 1906, with Humorous Phases of Funny Faces. 1920 saw actor Douglas Fairbanks take on the role of the iconic hero Zorro in The Mark of Zorro, the first film of the superhero genre. The genesis of the horror film would fall to a three-minute film released in 1896: Le Manoir du Diable, aka The House of the Devil, followed shortly afterward by two other prominent "firsts" in the horror genre: Dante's Inferno, the first feature-length horror film, and The Terror, the first "all-talking" horror feature. When looking back over the horror genre's 128-year history, it's incredible to see how a three-minute clip gave way to the likes of Dario Argento,...

A great movie sword fight requires both skilled choreography and meaningful storytelling, showcasing a hero's growth or triumph over their enemy. The best sword fights feature talented actors who bring their martial arts expertise to the screen, creating thrilling and visually stunning duels. Sword fights in films like Star Wars and Kill Bill merge fantastical elements, impressive stunt work, and captivating visuals to create unforgettable and intense action sequences.

There's no better way to end a movie in epic fashion than with a great sword fight. While an intense shootout or hand-to-hand fight scene can leave its mark on an action film, a sword duel offers the perfect combination of elegant weapon skill, high stakes fighting, and personal confrontation. From lightsabers to fencing foils to katanas, films have offered the best of different sword fighting styles for their epic, final showdowns.

A great movie sword fight is both well choreographed and story driven.

There are few pulpy visualizations of revenge that play as satisfyingly as the climax of Martin Campbell’s The Mask of Zorro. Released 25 years ago, the still surprisingly lithe and surefooted swashbuckler culminates with a multigenerational crescendo of vengeance, which is served bloody and fierce. On one level of a crumbling Californian gold mine, the original Zorro is a now aged and dying Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins), and he grapples in his last breath with the man who stole his life and imprisoned him in hell for 20 years. Yet a literal platform below this Count of Monte Cristo passion play is something even bleaker and more vicious: the storm of swords unleashed by a younger Zorro (Antonio Banderas) and his own object of disdain: Capt. Harrison Love (Matt Letscher).

When Zorro carves an “M” across Capt. Love’s face, there is no wink or playful banter one...

It is easy to see that blockbuster movies based on superhero comic books have been the dominating force in Hollywood for a while now. For over a decade, many of the highest-grossing movies that have been released every year have been these kinds of films. Whether it be the Avengers films, Spider-Man, Batman, Wonder Woman, Guardians of the Galaxy, or essentially any other Marvel or DC property, throughout the 2010s it was almost assured that any film in the genre would be a massive hit. Over the course of Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – which spanned 11 films from 2016 to 2019, the franchise was averaging over a gross of over $1 billion at the box office with every new release.

However, nothing lasts forever. While some pessimists have been ringing the “superhero fatigue” alarm since the release of The Avengers in 2012 and continuously throughout this Golden Age of comic-book movies, it...

Steven Spielberg knew The Mask of Zorro was special. The Academy Award-winning director (Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan) spent time on the set of The Mask of Zorro in 1997, which celebrated its 25th anniversary on July 17, 2023. And Spielberg told the film’s star Antonio Banderas that the use of special effects in cinema was shifting from practical to CGI.

Banderas said in an interview with Yahoo Entertainment:

Steven Spielberg said to me once when we were shooting, ‘This is probably going to be one of the last Westerns shot in the way the Westerns were shot in the old days, with real scenes with real horses, where everything is real, [real] sword fighting, no CGI.' Everything was [practical].

Author Johnston McCulley created the character of the masked vigilante Zorro back in 1919. And since that time the hero, whose true identity is Don Diego de la Vega, has been played...

2023 marks the 20th anniversary of the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which revived the moribund pirate genre while giving cinema an icon in Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow. The movie defied expectations on a number of levels, with dubious origins in a Disney theme-park ride and a genre that had fallen far out of favor. Subsequent sequels have been a mixed bag, while Depp's off-screen controversies have tarnished his most famous character. But the original film remains an evergreen classic while resurrecting the pirate movie from a perennial spot on death's doorstep.

Like a lot of success stories, The Curse of the Black Pearl came about from a confluence of factors, not all of which were in the filmmakers' hands. Lightning struck in a manner that even a studio as big as Disney couldn't quite replicate, and it leaves a legacy the likes...

Warning! Contains spoilers for Multiversity: Harley Screws Up the Dcu #5!Thanks to one unbelievable act of brutality, Harley Quinn managed to change Batman's life for the better. A time travel misadventure allowed Harley to prevent Thomas and Martha Wayne's deaths in a way only she would think of doing.

In Multiversity: Harley Screws Up the Dcu #5 by Frank Tieri and Logan Faerber, Harley and her variant of herself from another timeline are still trying to fix history after the original Harley screwed it up. They arrive in Gotham and the original Harley Quinn recounts how she managed to botch Batman's origin. As it turns out, during Harley's initial travels throughout the timestream, she decided to see the same showing of The Mark of Zorro the Wayne family saw the night of their terrible tragedy.

But thanks to Harley's presence, it isn't the Waynes that venture down Crime Alley, but Harley Quinn.

This article contains major spoilers for The Flash.

Holy revolving door, Batman! The Caped Crusader has been portrayed by more actors on the big screen than any other superhero in history. Most of them have lasted for just one film. After The Dark Knight Rises, Christian Bale became the first man to have played Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego more than twice on the silver screen. He didn’t have much competition – Michael Keaton was the only other actor to reprise the role at the time.

But Ben Affleck has now beat Bale for appearances as Batman on the big screen due to his return in The Flash movie, making that fourth time Affleck has donned the cape and cowl. Sure, these aren’t movies starring the Caped Crusader but they still count! Meanwhile, Keaton ties Bale for three appearances, with a much heftier role in The Flash than Affleck.

A case can be made that Batman is the quintessential cinematic superhero. He’s certainly been the most adapted to the big screen, with the Caped Crusader starring in 12 theatrically released films when you count animation and William Dozier’s Batman: The Movie tie-in from 1966. There’s good reason for that ubiquitousness too.

The visceral mystique of a dark cowl and cape; the shadowy world of an urban landscape crying out for a hero; even the universally relatable origin of an orphan who seeks to fill the void left by his parents’ deaths. Much of the iconography Batman would come to define in superhero comics was on the silver screen first. After all, Batman co-creator Bob Kane once described the character as “half-Zorro,” and for most folks of his generation, Zorro was synonymous with Douglas Fairbanks in The Mark of Zorro (1920), the movie which made the story of a daring...

A classic hero is being reimagined for modern viewers, this time for the small screen. Disney+ is currently developing a new "Zorro" TV series, one that will star Wilmer Valderrama ("That '70s Show") as the swashbuckling swordsman. But we now know who is going to be heading up the show behind the scenes, as Bryan Cogman, of "Game of Thrones" fame, has been tapped as the writer, showrunner, and executive producer.

The news comes to us from Deadline, which explains that Valderrama is also on board as an executive producer, in addition to his starring role. The outlet also explains that the "Zorro" show will be "a bold reimagining of Disney's classic series for a modern audience; an epic adventure rooted in California's rich and diverse history, bursting with humor, sinister intrigue, romantic entanglements, and swashbuckling thrills." No word yet on just how soon production will get underway, but we...

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products released each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Jamie Lee Curtis Shirt from Poltergeists and Paramours

Poltergeists and Paramours pays tribute to Jamie Lee Curtis’ horror legacy with “The Nights She Survived” design by Neil Fraser featuring her characters from Halloween, The Fog, Prom Night, Terror Train, and Halloween 2018.

It’s available on T-shirts in black (27), black tie-dye (27), and Halloween tie-dye. They’ll ship in 2-4 weeks. In honor of Curtis, 25 of the proceeds will be donated to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. An additional 25 will be split between The Trevor Project and National Center for Transgender Equality.

Archie Comics-Inspired Horror Art from Gallery 1988

Following the success of his solo show last year, Matt Talbot created more Archie Comics-inspired horror artwork from his...

The return of Martin Campbell, the Brit director who successfully rebooted the James Bond franchise not once but twice, on opposite sides of the millennium and gave English-language audiences Antonio Banderas as the title character in The Mark of Zorro, counts as something to both welcome and/or celebrate. That's especially true after a prolonged absence from the kind of stylish, slick entertainments (2011's headache-inducing Green Lantern misfire notwithstanding) that made Campbell one of Hollywood's go-to directors for more than a decade. After two middling, modestly budgeted, ultimately disposable efforts, and now a third, underwhelming film in a row, Memory, a remake of a little-known, barely remembered 2003 Belgian crime-thriller, The Memory of a Killer (aka The Alzheimer Case),...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Hello, dear readers! November is officially upon us, as well as a new week of Blu-ray and DVD releases, which means it’s time to make some room for more horror and sci-fi to fill your home entertainment shelves. One of this writer’s favorite indie genre movies of the year, Come True, is getting released to both Blu and DVD this week courtesy of Scream Factory, and Kino Lorber is showing some love to a pair of classic thrillers as well: The Spider Woman Strikes Back and The Mad Doctor. Other releases for November 2nd include The Banishing, Pig featuring Nicolas Cage, and The Spore.

The Banishing

From acclaimed genre director Chris Smith (Creep) comes the true story of the most haunted house in England. A young reverend, his wife and daughter move into a manor with a horrifying secret. When a vengeful spirit haunts the little girl and...

Guillermo del Toro is back with a new film, and it's unlike anything he's ever directed before. "Nightmare Alley" is his first stab at film noir, and this story of a mentalist who yearns to escape from the carnival lifestyle does not center on the brilliantly designed creatures del Toro frequently includes in his movies. And if this version is anything like the 1947 version of "Nightmare Alley" that starred "The Mark of Zorro" actor Tyrone Power, this could be one of del Toro's darkest films in quite some time. Check out the new trailer below.

Eddie Mueller, who hosts Noir...

The post Nightmare Alley Trailer: Guillermo del Toro Makes a Noir With Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett appeared first on /Film.

Guillermo del Toro takes a walk on the noir side in his first film since winning the Oscar for directing the 2017 best picture winner “The Shape of Things.” “Nightmare Alley,’ based on the uncompromising 1946 novel by William Lindsay Gresham, offers a bleak depiction of humanity including low-rent carnivals filled with has-beens, geeks and “rum-dums.” Searchlight Pictures is giving “Nightmare Alley,” which had to shut down production during the height of Covid in 2020, the “A” treatment, opening the film on Dec. 3 just in time for awards consideration.

The innovative Mexican filmmaker best known for his acclaimed fantasy, horror (“The Devil’s Backbone”) and sci-fi (‘Hellboy”) productions, co-wrote the screenplay with Kim Morgan. Bradley Cooper plays Stan Carlisle, a handsome manipulative carny worker who has a massive chip on his shoulder. Stan wants to hit the big time and with the help of carnival headliner Zeena (Toni Collette) resurrects her old mentalist act.

The Criterion Channel has unveiled their lineup for next month and it’s another strong slate, featuring retrospectives of Carole Lombard, John Waters, Robert Downey Sr., Luis García Berlanga, Jane Russell, and Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman. Also in the lineup is new additions to their Queersighted series, notably Todd Haynes’ early film Poison (Safe is also premiering in a separate presentation), William Friedkin’s Cruising, and Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Teorama.

The new restorations of Manoel de Oliveira’s stunning Francisca and Francesco Rosi’s Christ Stopped at Eboli will join the channel, alongside Agnieszka Holland’s Spoor, Bong Joon Ho’s early short film Incoherence, and Luc Dardenne & Jean-Pierre Dardenne’s Rosetta.

See the lineup below and explore more on criterionchannel.com.

#Blackmendream, Shikeith, 2014

12 Angry Men, Sidney Lumet, 1957

About Tap, George T. Nierenberg, 1985

The AIDS Show, Peter Adair and Rob Epstein, 1986

The Assignation, Curtis Harrington, 1953

Aya of Yop City,...

Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson | Art by Dexter Soy | Published by DC Comics

I’ve been dipping into these Dark Multiverse books and crossovers for a while now, and as you would expect they have been of mixed quality. Generally, though, they’ve hit more home runs than strikes. The positive thing is that as they are essentially glorified ‘What If?’ books, and the possibilities are endless. Any creator can take a major storyline from the past in the DC Universe that they enjoyed, or more likely have an editor assign it to them, and run with it in a different direction. Heck, I could write those. This time round, Phillip Kennedy Johnson gets that job, with co-conspirator Dexter Soy having fun on the art. Let’s take a look.

So, first things first, this is a dark take on the Hush storyline that ran back in the Batman books nearly twenty years ago now.

Written by Geoff Johns | Art by Jason Fabok | Published by DC Black Label

This book has been outstanding on pretty much every level. Great covers, sensational art and a script that not only delivered what we hoped for, but also supplied the cherry and cream to go on top of that particular pie. Something else not to sneeze at, it all came out on time. No delays. Delays have killed many a good storyline or series, as anticipation can only last so long. None of that here. Thank goodness, as I’ve been literally counting the days until this final issue comes out. Much has been delivered, but there is still a lot to tie up and resolve. I also think Johns and Fabok need to see if they can also gross us out just that little bit more. Do your worst diabolical duo.

Last issue had a big old helping of legacy.

On Sept. 28, 1985 the world got a glimpse of what could have been a very different Batman animated series. The fourth episode of that year’s incarnation of Hanna-Barbera’s long running Super Friends animated series (Super Powers: Galactic Guardians) is “The Fear.” Unlike previous episodes, it wasn’t focused on the Justice League and their ongoing battle against cosmic forces of evil, but instead was firmly grounded in Gotham City and a battle between Batman and the Scarecrow.

Galactic Guardians was the eighth and final season of Hanna-Barbera’s beloved Super Friends franchise, and it was a notable departure from what came before. Galactic Guardians stories were more in keeping with DC Comics of the day, the animation style drew heavily on the work of Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, the artist behind the DC Comics Style Guide of the era, and for the second season in a row, the show leaned...

James Bond fans won’t have to experience any serious absence of their favorite secret agent even though 007’s new thriller, No Time to Die, has had its release delayed by the coronavirus pandemic from this month to November.

Fortunately, in addition to Pluto TV’s 24/7 Bond channel (which offers up 18 films with limited commercials), Amazon Prime in the Us is now making 21 Bond movies — basically everything up until the current Daniel Craig era — available starting April 1, all in 4K Ultra-High Definition. There’s currently no word on whether or not Amazon UK will follow suit.

The movies are (in alphabetical order):

A View to a Kill (1985)Diamonds Are Forever (1971)Die Another Day (2002)Dr. No (1962)For Your Eyes Only (1981)From Russia with Love (1964)Goldeneye (1995)Goldfinger (1964)Licence to Kill (1989)Live and Let Die (1973)Moonraker (1979)Never Say Never Again (1983)Octopussy (1983)On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)The Living Daylights (1987)The Man with the Golden Gun...

Commissioner Gordon actor Jeffrey Wright teased some of his comic book inspiration for The Batman on social media. Wright is clearly hyped for the role and is taking a look at where it all began for the Dark Knight. Bob Kane created the character and he first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in 1939, taking inspiration from The Mark of Zorro (1920) and The Bat Whispers (1930). Over the years, we've seen many different versions of the Caped Crusader, but director Matt Reeves is aiming to show us something different.

Jeffrey Wright posted a photo of Batman: The Golden Age Vol. 1, which collects the very first comic book stories and appearances of the character. Matt Reeves has said numerous times that he wants The Batman to take the Caped Crusader back to his detective roots, and he may have meant that in more ways than one. In addition to actually being a detective, the...

Spanish actor Antonio Banderas has starred in such box office champs as “The Mask of Zorro,” “Evita” and “Spy Kids,” and worked with great directors, including Jonathan Demme, Robert Rodriguez, Steven Soderbergh and Julie Taymor. But he’s best known for his eight films with writer-director Pedro Almodóvar.

Sony Pictures Classics’ “Pain and Glory,” for which Banderas won the best actor prize at Cannes, puts both of them in the fast lane for the Oscar race. In keeping with the film’s themes of creativity, reconciliation and the passage of time, Banderas talked with Variety about his early days in the industry. The actor was first mentioned in Variety on Oct. 6, 1982, when two films — “Labyrinth of Passion” and “False Eyelash” — were reviewed on the same page. Banderas spoke from his hometown of Málaga, where he has created a theater company, Teatro del Soho, which opened with a Banderas-directed “A Chorus Line.

In many past instances, directors working on Batman movies wanted their productions to have an anachronistic sense to them. In other words, Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher would incorporate technology, cars and fashion from a variety of eras so that you wouldn’t know in which era the story took place. Though this method wasn’t favored by successors Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder, Batman: The Animated Series and Gotham did follow suit on the small screen.

When it came to Joker, however, it didn’t go for either the anachronistic or modern options. What director Todd Phillips did do, though, was opt to shoot it as a period piece. And while it was plainly obvious that it could’ve been set in the late 1970s or early 1980s, there’s been some debate surrounding this aspect. Hey, it may not be as ambiguous as the film’s ending, but...

Brian Taggert, a prolific TV and film writer whose credits include “Adam-12” and the script for the feature film “Poltergeist III,” died on June 1 at the age of 81.

His cause of death has not been made public, but the Los Angeles County coroner’s officer said Thursday that Taggert died in his home.

Taggert’s career took off in the 1970s with an extensive list of credits that includes “Adam-12,” and “Emergency!” He went on to write for TV films like “The Mark of Zorro,” “The Spell” and “Night Cries,” the television remake of “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane,” and the TV miniseries “V: The Final Battle” and “V” the series, among many others.

He also co-produced “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?”

Also Read: All 21 Pixar Movies Ranked, Worst to Best (Photos)

In the 1980s, he began writing for film, with credits including the 1982 slasher “Visiting Hours” starring Lee Grant...

Brian Taggert, the screenwriter for Poltergeist III and Visiting Hours, died at age 81 at home in Los Angeles on June 1. His death was confirmed by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.

Taggert had a varied career as a TV and film writer. His television resume from the 1970s includes episodes of Adam-12 and Emergency!, as well as the 1984 NBC miniseries V: The Final Battle. He later worked on the V series that lasted a season, and had three telefilms on his resume:1974’s The Mark of Zorro, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? and Omen IV: The Awakening.

He turned to film in the 1980s and scored a feature with the slasher picture Visiting Hours in 1982. The film depicted actress Lee Grant as a TV journalist targeted by serial killer Michael Ironside.

Taggert shared Poltergeist III credit with director Gary Sherman. They had also collaborated on the drama Wanted:...

Hollywood classics don’t have to be stuffy — this 1940 swashbuckling adventure has style, great action, laughs and one of the most attractive screen couples of their day, Tyrone Power and Linda Darnell. And that’s not mentioning a superb fencing match, a great, quaint Spanish dance, and a smart cast directed by Rouben Mamoulian at his best. This German import is fully compatible with U.S. players.

The Mark of Zorro

Im Zeichen des Zorro

All-Region Blu-ray Special Edition

Explosive Media GmbH

1940 / B&W/colorized / 1:37 Academy / 94 min. / Im Zeichen des Zorro / Street Date September 27, 2018 / Available through Amazon.de / Eur 15,99

Starring: Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Basil Rathbone, Gale Sondergaard,

Eugene Pallette, J. Edward Bromberg, Montagu Love, Janet Beecher, George Regas, Chris-Pin Martin.

Cinematography: Arthur Miller

Film Editor: Robert Bischoff

Original Music: Alfred Newman

Written by John Taintor Foote, Garrett Fort

Produced by Raymond Griffith, Darryl F. Zanuck

Directed by Rouben Mamoulian

“I am off to California,...

Since its very inception, fans have wondered how Gotham would handle the Joker and his subsequent origin story. As it turns out, the Clown Prince of Crime’s formulation has proved to be as long and as drawn out as Bruce Wayne’s journey to becoming Batman.

To briefly recap, season 1 introduced us to a disturbed young man who was guilty of matricide named Jeremiah Valeska. But after being let loose on the city for a brief period the next fall, he died at the hands of Theo Galavan. Then, he was resurrected in season 3 and shared visual similarities to the Joker as he appeared in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman: Death of the Family. Still, he wasn’t the genuine article.

Before being killed off for good in season 4, his twin brother, Jeremiah, came at us from out of nowhere. And before Jerome left this world, he...

On the one hand, I’ve been rather entertained by what Gotham‘s fifth and final season has offered thus far. But on the other, I’ve been waiting with bated breath to see all of the cool stuff teased in various trailers. I guess that’s to be expected when shooting wraps before the first episode has a chance to premiere.

One such thing I’ve been geeked for is that of the confrontation between Bruce Wayne and Jeremiah Valeska in the appropriately titled “Ace Chemicals.” In that episode, we can expect to see their feud build to a crescendo – and to possibly serve as the pivotal moment marking Jeremiah’s transformative experience.

But, until the big moment arrives, we can rely on this freshly released gallery of images to tide us over. As you begin to browse, notice how both the Mad Hatter and Ecco are there to...

The Half Breed (1916) with live music by The Rats and People Motion Picture Orchestra will screen after the new documentary I, Douglas Fairbanks Saturday at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium as part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. The prgram starts at 7pm. Ticket information can be found Here

There’s nothing better than silent films accompanied by live music! The Rats and People is a treasure and St. Louis is lucky to have them here. I’ve seen them perform with silent films several times, often at The St. Louis International Film Festival, and usually at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium and it’s always a stunning good time at the movies. You’ll have the chance to see them perform their magic this Saturday, November 10th when they premiere their new score for The Half Breed (1916)

During the peak of the silent era, the dashing...

Like almost every other movie this summer, “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” is a sequel. However, it bears little resemblance to the onslaught of overgrown lizards, animated families, and Marvel brethren; it cost much less, and will gross much less. But what really sets “Soldado” apart is it was never meant to happen.

Sequels are as old as the movies. Comedy silent shorts often built on a continuing set of characters. Rudolph Valentino followed “The Sheik” with the even-bigger “Son of the Sheik.” Douglas Fairbanks went from “The Mark of Zorro” to “Don Q, Son of Zorro.”

In the early decades of sound, studios nurtured franchises that included The Thin Man (six titles), the Hardy Family (16 titles), Dr. Kildare and Ma and Pa Kettle (10 titles). Rarely, studios struck twice on a major success: 1944 Best Picture winner “Going My Way” immediately spawned the even-better “Bells of St. Mary’s,” and 1942 winner “Mrs. Miniver...

One of the best Hollywood historical epics takes Technicolor to Mexico for a Production Code version of La conquista: the Inquisition is still bad, but the Church is exonerated. Likewise with the invasion — Cesar Romero embodies a marvelous Hernán Cortés, substantially less murderous than the one we now know from accurate history books. Tyrone Power is the heartthrob hero and newcomer Jean Peters the lowborn girl who loves him. The magnificent scenery is matched by the music score of Alfred Newman.

Captain from Castile

Blu-ray

Twilight Time

1947 / Color / 137 Academy / 141 min. / Street Date October 17, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95

Starring: Tyrone Power, Jean Peters, Cesar Romero, Lee J. Cobb, John Sutton, Antonio Moreno, Thomas Gomez, Alan Mowbray, Barbara Lawrence, George Zucco, Roy Roberts, Marc Lawrence, Reed Hadley, Robert Karnes, Estela Inda, Chris-Pin Martin, Jay Silverheels, Gilberto González.

Cinematography: Arthur Arling, Charles G. Clarke, Joseph Lashelle

Film Editor: Barbara McLean...

Sean Wilson Jan 16, 2017

From the BBC's Sherlock, through Disney, Hans Zimmer and Young Sherlock Holmes: we salute the music of Mr Holmes...

Few characters have enjoyed as much reinvention as Arthur Conan Doyle's sleuth Sherlock Holmes, an enduring icon who is as much bound up with the history of cinema (and indeed stage, TV and radio) as he is with literature. Indeed, adaptations of Holmes stories stretch right the way back to the earliest days of film at the start of the 20th century. Fittingly enough given Holmes' penchant for a violin serenade, the musical scores to his adventures are as richly varied as the outcomes to his mysteries are unexpected. Here are Holmes' musical highlights, from Buster Keaton through to Benedict Cumberbatch.

Sherlock Jr. (1924)

Not, strictly speaking, a Sherlock movie but as the title implies, the legacy of the character casts a long shadow over Buster Keaton's silent classic.

In this episode of Off The Shelf, Ryan and Brian take a look at the new DVD and Blu-ray releases for the week August 2nd, 2016.

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Follow-up Dead Ringers Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Dated Scream Factory: Rabid Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Dated News Lionsgate bows new Vestron Bd series, plus BFI’s Napoleon, Peter Gabriel, Da Vinci Code 4K, Phantasm & more Warcraft official for Bd, BD3D & 4K on 9/27, plus Everest 4K, Bates Motel: S4, Arrow’s Dark Water & more Vestron Video – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Vestron Video VHS Covers Vestron Video – Clg Wiki Scorpion Releasing: Joseph Losey’s Steaming Heading to Blu-ray Glengarry Glen Ross Blu-ray Upcoming Eureka Entertainment Blu-ray Releases The Lodger Blu-ray Detailed First Look at New 4K Remaster of Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls Kino: New 2K Restoration of Night People Coming to Blu-ray The Almodóvar Blu-ray Collection Babyface (1977) Blu-ray...