The Avengers: The Emma Peel Collection (1965-1967)
Blu-ray
[Imprint] Television
1965-67 / 1.33: 1 / Black and White and Color
Starring Diana Rigg, Patrick Macnee
Written by Brian Clemens, Philip Levene
Directed by Roy Ward Baker, Sidney Hayers, Charles Crichton
Though remembered for its idiosyncratic humor, The Avengers made its debut in 1961 as a no-nonsense crime drama. Ian Hendry starred as David Keel, a doctor turned detective, while Patrick MacNee haunted the sidelines as an inscrutable investigator named John Steed. Shot in black and white under grey English skies, the show was unmistakably a product of the Cold War, fueled by John Dankworth’s stentorian theme and an origin story that predicted television’s noirish The Fugitive; Keel’s fiancée has been murdered, prompting our heroes to join in the search for her killer.
It was a brief sojourn for Hendry who left at the end of the season, relinquishing star billing to Macnee and his new partner,...
Blu-ray
[Imprint] Television
1965-67 / 1.33: 1 / Black and White and Color
Starring Diana Rigg, Patrick Macnee
Written by Brian Clemens, Philip Levene
Directed by Roy Ward Baker, Sidney Hayers, Charles Crichton
Though remembered for its idiosyncratic humor, The Avengers made its debut in 1961 as a no-nonsense crime drama. Ian Hendry starred as David Keel, a doctor turned detective, while Patrick MacNee haunted the sidelines as an inscrutable investigator named John Steed. Shot in black and white under grey English skies, the show was unmistakably a product of the Cold War, fueled by John Dankworth’s stentorian theme and an origin story that predicted television’s noirish The Fugitive; Keel’s fiancée has been murdered, prompting our heroes to join in the search for her killer.
It was a brief sojourn for Hendry who left at the end of the season, relinquishing star billing to Macnee and his new partner,...
- 1/14/2023
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
This lesser-known suspense thriller is an excellent adaptation of a novel by Graham Greene, and a fine showcase for actor Anthony Hopkins and the upcoming Kristin Scott Thomas, with an able assist from Derek Jacobi. A Paris lawyer is sentenced to die as a random hostage of the German occupiers, but swaps with another prisoner with a desperate, questionable death-cell contract. Three years later, he must pretend not to be himself when he returns to the house he traded for his life, to face a woman who has sworn to kill the man who allowed her brother to die. Fans of Hannibal Lecter will be impressed by Hopkins’ deep, absorbing performance — the show’s moral tension and strange twists of fate are quite moving.
The Tenth Man
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1988 / Color / 2:35 1:85 1:66 widescreen 1:37 Academy / 99 min. / Street Date August 30, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Kristin Scott Thomas,...
The Tenth Man
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1988 / Color / 2:35 1:85 1:66 widescreen 1:37 Academy / 99 min. / Street Date August 30, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Kristin Scott Thomas,...
- 8/27/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Akira Kurosawa wrote the original story for this slam-bang action picture that finally got Cannon Films on a, ‘Hey this is a great movie’ list or two. Mean, nasty, desperate men make an impossible escape attempt across a frozen landscape that might as well be on the moon. Jon Voight gets to use the same eccentric gimmicks that Dustin Hoffman exploited, and comes off great while Andrei Konchalovsky showed Cannon what a brilliant director could do. The show also established Eric Roberts and Rebecca De Mornay as talents to watch.
Runaway Train
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1985 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 111 min. / Street Date March 16, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Jon Voight, Eric Roberts, Rebecca De Mornay, Kyle T. Heffner, John P. Ryan T.K. Carter, Kenneth McMillan, Edward Bunker, Hank Worden, Danny Trejo, Tommy Lister, Don MacLaughlin, Loren James, Dick Durock, Dennis Franz.
Cinematography: Alan Hume
Original Music: Trevor Jones
Written by Djordje Milecevic,...
Runaway Train
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1985 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 111 min. / Street Date March 16, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Jon Voight, Eric Roberts, Rebecca De Mornay, Kyle T. Heffner, John P. Ryan T.K. Carter, Kenneth McMillan, Edward Bunker, Hank Worden, Danny Trejo, Tommy Lister, Don MacLaughlin, Loren James, Dick Durock, Dennis Franz.
Cinematography: Alan Hume
Original Music: Trevor Jones
Written by Djordje Milecevic,...
- 2/23/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
By Lee Pfeiffer
In the 1970s and 1980s, Israeli producers Yoram Globus and Menahem Golan took Hollywood by storm by unleashing a tidal wave of low-budget exploitation films that were superbly marketed and which made their Cannon Films company the toast of the town. The fare was generally for undiscriminating viewers who were willing to plunk down their money to see movies about breakdancing, sexual slapstick and over-the-top action movies. They made a feature film star out of the charisma-free Chuck Norris and revived Charles Bronson's career after the major studios had pronounced him to be past his sell date. The glory days of Cannon were relatively short-lived as movie fans sought more sophisticated fare. Still, it must be said that occasionally, Cannon did try to move out its comfort zone by producing respectable, mainstream films, one of which was "Runaway Train" in 1985. The movie starred Jon Voight as Oscar "Manny" Manheim,...
In the 1970s and 1980s, Israeli producers Yoram Globus and Menahem Golan took Hollywood by storm by unleashing a tidal wave of low-budget exploitation films that were superbly marketed and which made their Cannon Films company the toast of the town. The fare was generally for undiscriminating viewers who were willing to plunk down their money to see movies about breakdancing, sexual slapstick and over-the-top action movies. They made a feature film star out of the charisma-free Chuck Norris and revived Charles Bronson's career after the major studios had pronounced him to be past his sell date. The glory days of Cannon were relatively short-lived as movie fans sought more sophisticated fare. Still, it must be said that occasionally, Cannon did try to move out its comfort zone by producing respectable, mainstream films, one of which was "Runaway Train" in 1985. The movie starred Jon Voight as Oscar "Manny" Manheim,...
- 2/7/2020
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
By Hank Reineke
Sir Christopher Lee left us in 2015. In doing so he left even his most rabid fans to spend a good portion of their lives trying to track down all of the films he appeared in since 1946. This Kino Lorber Studio Classics Blu-ray release of director Kevin Connor’s Arabian Adventure (1979) will be a welcome one to his many devotees, especially as it sports a transfer superior to the old Televista DVD issued in 2007. This new transfer is colorful and bright, with very few issues of scratches or speckling and with just enough authentic film grain.
Though a near life-long fan of Christopher Lee’s work, I somehow managed to miss this film when on U.S. release in 1979. I vaguely recall a feature cover story on the film in a very early issue of Fangoria magazine but, perhaps since Arabian Adventure was marketed as a “family film,...
Sir Christopher Lee left us in 2015. In doing so he left even his most rabid fans to spend a good portion of their lives trying to track down all of the films he appeared in since 1946. This Kino Lorber Studio Classics Blu-ray release of director Kevin Connor’s Arabian Adventure (1979) will be a welcome one to his many devotees, especially as it sports a transfer superior to the old Televista DVD issued in 2007. This new transfer is colorful and bright, with very few issues of scratches or speckling and with just enough authentic film grain.
Though a near life-long fan of Christopher Lee’s work, I somehow managed to miss this film when on U.S. release in 1979. I vaguely recall a feature cover story on the film in a very early issue of Fangoria magazine but, perhaps since Arabian Adventure was marketed as a “family film,...
- 6/5/2019
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
The haunted house has always been one of the elemental settings in horror – the materialization of externalized evil – and is enjoying considerable success today through the likes of The Conjuring multiverse. When horror entered the ‘70s, ghosts became passé as audiences clamored for more visceral thrills that reflected the current societal concerns; despair marbled with a bit of hope became the name of the game, as films like The Exorcist presented strong opinions regarding faith in the face of crises. Six months earlier however saw the release of The Legend of Hell House (1973), a somewhat traditional yet exceptional spookshow with just enough ‘70s pessimism to fit in nicely with the decade’s mores.
Released by 20th Century Fox in the U.S. mid June, Legend received mixed reviews from critics; some admired its somewhat restrained scares and performances, while others felt it didn’t lean enough into the lurid material...
Released by 20th Century Fox in the U.S. mid June, Legend received mixed reviews from critics; some admired its somewhat restrained scares and performances, while others felt it didn’t lean enough into the lurid material...
- 4/13/2019
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
We’re told that the first live- action feature film super-heroine was the marvelous Helen Slater, whose fine presence redeems this last film in the Salkind Superman franchise. CineSavant likes it for the right reasons — his very young kids adored it — but can see its turnip screenwriting and frayed corners showing through. The release combines a 125-minute Blu-ray with an overstuffed 139-minute DVD.
Supergirl
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1984 / Color / 2:40 widescreen / 125 (Bd) & 139 (Sd) min. / Street Date July 24, 2018 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Faye Dunaway, Helen Slater, Peter O’Toole, Mia Farrow, Brenda Vaccaro, Peter Cook, Simon Ward, Marc McClure, Hart Bochner, Maureen Teefy.
Cinematography: Alan Hume
Film Editor: Malcolm Cooke
Visual Effects: Derek Meddings
Original Music: Jerry Goldsmith
Written by David Odell
Produced by Timothy Burrill, Ilya Salkind
Directed by Jeannot Szwarc
I got caught up short about ten years ago when doing extras for the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Supergirl
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1984 / Color / 2:40 widescreen / 125 (Bd) & 139 (Sd) min. / Street Date July 24, 2018 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Faye Dunaway, Helen Slater, Peter O’Toole, Mia Farrow, Brenda Vaccaro, Peter Cook, Simon Ward, Marc McClure, Hart Bochner, Maureen Teefy.
Cinematography: Alan Hume
Film Editor: Malcolm Cooke
Visual Effects: Derek Meddings
Original Music: Jerry Goldsmith
Written by David Odell
Produced by Timothy Burrill, Ilya Salkind
Directed by Jeannot Szwarc
I got caught up short about ten years ago when doing extras for the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
- 7/21/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“The funniest movie I have seen in a long time” – Roger Ebert
A Fish Called Wanda will be available on Blu-ray October 3rd from Arrow Video
In 1988, John Cleese, former Python and the mastermind behind Fawlty Towers, teamed up with the veteran Ealing Comedy director Charles Crichton (The Lavender Hill Mob) to produce another classic of British comedy.
Cleese plays Archie Leach, a weak-willed barrister who finds himself embroiled with a quartet of ill-matched jewel thieves – two American con artists played by Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline, Michael Palin’s animal-loving hitman and London gangster Tom Georgeson – when Georgeson is arrested. Only he and Palin know the whereabouts of the diamonds, prompting plenty of farce and in-fighting as well as some embarrassing nudity and the unfortunate demise of some innocent pooches…
Nominated for three Academy Awards and winning one for Kline’s outstanding supporting turn as the psychopathic Otto,...
A Fish Called Wanda will be available on Blu-ray October 3rd from Arrow Video
In 1988, John Cleese, former Python and the mastermind behind Fawlty Towers, teamed up with the veteran Ealing Comedy director Charles Crichton (The Lavender Hill Mob) to produce another classic of British comedy.
Cleese plays Archie Leach, a weak-willed barrister who finds himself embroiled with a quartet of ill-matched jewel thieves – two American con artists played by Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline, Michael Palin’s animal-loving hitman and London gangster Tom Georgeson – when Georgeson is arrested. Only he and Palin know the whereabouts of the diamonds, prompting plenty of farce and in-fighting as well as some embarrassing nudity and the unfortunate demise of some innocent pooches…
Nominated for three Academy Awards and winning one for Kline’s outstanding supporting turn as the psychopathic Otto,...
- 9/18/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Cannon Films knocks one out of the park: Jon Voight and Eric Roberts escape from prison only to end up on a huge, speeding, out of control juggernaut of a freight train plowing through the Alaskan wilderness. It's both an action bruise-fest and an existential statement, and it's still a wild thrill ride. Runaway Train Blu-ray Twilight Time 1985 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 111 min. / Street Date October 11, 2016 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95 Starring Jon Voight, Eric Roberts, Rebecca De Mornay, Kyle T. Heffner, John P. Ryan T.K. Carter, Kenneth McMillan, Edward Bunker, Hank Worden, Danny Trejo, Tommy Lister, Don MacLaughlin, Loren James, Dick Durock, Dennis Franz. Cinematography Alan Hume Original Music Trevor Jones Written by Djordje Milecevic, Paul Zindel, Edward Bunker based on a screenplay by Akira Kurosawa. Produced by Yoram Globus, Menachem Golan Directed by Andrei Konchalovsky
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
When I stumbled into The Cannon Group on...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
When I stumbled into The Cannon Group on...
- 11/15/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The chase is on: a mix of icy ruthlessness and warm romanticism enliven Ken Follett's novel of pre-invasion esponage intrigue. Kate Nelligan heats up the screen with Donald Sutherland, the 'seventies most unlikely sex star. Plus a lush and wondrous music score by Miklos Rozsa. Eye of the Needle Blu-ray Twilight Time 1981 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 112 min. / Street Date September 13, 2016 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store29.95 Starring Donald Sutherland, Kate Nelligan, Christopher Cazenove, Ian Bannen, Philip Martin Brown, Bill Nighy, Stephen MacKenna, Sam Kydd. Cinematography Alan Hume Original Music Miklos Rozsa Written by Stanley Mann based on the novel by Ken Follett Produced by Stephen Friedman Directed by Richard Marquand
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
We're all familiar with this kind of thriller -- over shots of fresh-faced troops moving off to war, a portentous scrolling text tells us about the desperate situation of London -- and the Free World -- as Hitler's Luftwaffe threatens.
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
We're all familiar with this kind of thriller -- over shots of fresh-faced troops moving off to war, a portentous scrolling text tells us about the desperate situation of London -- and the Free World -- as Hitler's Luftwaffe threatens.
- 10/25/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing costar in a worthwhile horror attraction -- and for once even share some scenes. Amicus gives us five tales of the uncanny, each with a clever twist or sting in its tail. Creepy mountebank Cushing deals the Tarot cards that spell out the grim fates in store; Chris Lee is a pompous art critic wih a handy problem. Also with Michael Gough and introducing a young Donald Sutherland. Dr. Terror's House of Horrors Blu-ray Olive Films 1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 98 min. / Street Date October 27, 2015 / available through the Olive Films website / 29.98 <Starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Michael Gough, Donald Sutherland, Alan Freeman, Max Adrian, Roy Castle, Ursula Howells, Neil McCallum, Bernard Lee, Jennifer Jayne, Jeremy Kemp, Harold Lang, Katy Wild, Isla Blair, Al Mulock. Cinematography Alan Hume Film Editor Thelma Cornell Original Music Elizabeth Lutyens Written by Milton Subotsky Produced by Max Rosenberg, Milton Subotsky Directed by...
- 11/14/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Special Mention: Spirits Of The Dead (Histoires extraordinaires)
Written and directed by Federico Fellini (segment “Toby Dammit”), Louis Malle (segment “William Wilson”), Roger Vadim (segment “Metzengerstein”)
France, 1968
The first thing you should notice is the three directors: Federico Fellini, Louis Malle, and Roger Vadim. Secondly, take notice of the cast, which includes Brigitte Bardot, Jane Fonda, Peter Fonda, Alain Delon, Terence Stamp, Salvo Randone, James Robertson Justice, Françoise Prévost and Marlène Alexandre. Spirits Of The Dead is an adaptation of three Edgar Allan Poe stories, one of which demands to be seen.
The first segment of the film, Vadim’s “Metzgengerstein”, is unfortunately the least impressive, but is still great in its own right, and features a marvelous performance by Jane Fonda. Malle’s segment, which is the second of the three, turns Edgar Allan Poe’s 1839 story into an engrossing study in cruelty and sadism. This episode is an engaging enough entry,...
Written and directed by Federico Fellini (segment “Toby Dammit”), Louis Malle (segment “William Wilson”), Roger Vadim (segment “Metzengerstein”)
France, 1968
The first thing you should notice is the three directors: Federico Fellini, Louis Malle, and Roger Vadim. Secondly, take notice of the cast, which includes Brigitte Bardot, Jane Fonda, Peter Fonda, Alain Delon, Terence Stamp, Salvo Randone, James Robertson Justice, Françoise Prévost and Marlène Alexandre. Spirits Of The Dead is an adaptation of three Edgar Allan Poe stories, one of which demands to be seen.
The first segment of the film, Vadim’s “Metzgengerstein”, is unfortunately the least impressive, but is still great in its own right, and features a marvelous performance by Jane Fonda. Malle’s segment, which is the second of the three, turns Edgar Allan Poe’s 1839 story into an engrossing study in cruelty and sadism. This episode is an engaging enough entry,...
- 10/27/2015
- by Ricky Fernandes
- SoundOnSight
Lucasfilm
When Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace hit cinemas, the initial reaction was one of disappointment (if not quite the mass hatred which that evolved into), although not without a few clear positives. The story got thrashed for its reliance on pseudo-politics, the acting was found more wooden than an Ewok city and everybody finally agreed with Harrison Ford that George Lucas might not be the best wordsmith. But one thing everyone could find time to praise was the visuals.
The world Lucas created for Star Wars is phenomenal, an oft-described used future that serves as a fantasy realm of knights and rogues, and is so expertly realised that even cynics (be they prequel haters or those who “don’t get” the saga in general), can’t deny that the galaxy far, far away looks great.
That’d be all for nothing, though, if it was for the cinematography,...
When Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace hit cinemas, the initial reaction was one of disappointment (if not quite the mass hatred which that evolved into), although not without a few clear positives. The story got thrashed for its reliance on pseudo-politics, the acting was found more wooden than an Ewok city and everybody finally agreed with Harrison Ford that George Lucas might not be the best wordsmith. But one thing everyone could find time to praise was the visuals.
The world Lucas created for Star Wars is phenomenal, an oft-described used future that serves as a fantasy realm of knights and rogues, and is so expertly realised that even cynics (be they prequel haters or those who “don’t get” the saga in general), can’t deny that the galaxy far, far away looks great.
That’d be all for nothing, though, if it was for the cinematography,...
- 10/9/2015
- by Alex Leadbeater
- Obsessed with Film
You may not directly recall the name of director Richard Marquand, though in many ways he’s a notable director from the 1980s thanks to items like the pulpy Glenn Close courtroom drama Jagged Edge (1985), and a Ken Follett adaptation Eye of the Needle (1981). Oh, and he happened to helm Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi in 1983. The British director died of a stroke at the age of forty nine, which explains the abrupt end of a flourishing filmography. He made the jump from documentary and television series to feature with the forgotten 1978 British horror film The Legacy, which starred notable American stars (and real life couple) Katharine Ross and Sam Elliott. Based on a story by Jimmy Sangster, a writer of many Hammer Studio films, the screenplay was also co-written by Patrick Tilley (his last credit) and Paul Wheeler (who would exclusively work in television afterwards). The...
- 9/29/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Here's another installment featuring Joe Dante's reviews from his stint as a critic for Film Bulletin circa 1969-1974. Our thanks to Video Watchdog and Tim Lucas for his editorial embellishments!
Well done haunted house chiller offers plenty for the shiver‑and‑shock fans. A fitting swan song for [Aip co-founder] Jim Nicholson, this could roll up good grosses in general, ballyhoo, drive‑in markets if Fox gives it an appropriately strong sell. Rating: PG.
"This house... it knows we're here!" Of such ominous dialogue are classic style horror pictures made and The Legend Of Hell House, while no classic, is spookily amusing, sometimes scary stuff with plenty of mass appeal for summer playdates. In fact, this maiden effort from the late James Nicholson's Academy Pictures is slick and entertaining enough to register as one of the season's better attractions, if 20th Century‑Fox capitalizes on its considerable ballyhoo potential.
A...
Well done haunted house chiller offers plenty for the shiver‑and‑shock fans. A fitting swan song for [Aip co-founder] Jim Nicholson, this could roll up good grosses in general, ballyhoo, drive‑in markets if Fox gives it an appropriately strong sell. Rating: PG.
"This house... it knows we're here!" Of such ominous dialogue are classic style horror pictures made and The Legend Of Hell House, while no classic, is spookily amusing, sometimes scary stuff with plenty of mass appeal for summer playdates. In fact, this maiden effort from the late James Nicholson's Academy Pictures is slick and entertaining enough to register as one of the season's better attractions, if 20th Century‑Fox capitalizes on its considerable ballyhoo potential.
A...
- 9/9/2014
- by Joe Dante
- Trailers from Hell
By Lee Pfeiffer
Timeless Media have released the epic 1976 adventure film Shout at the Devil as a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. The movie, produced by Michael Klinger and directed by Peter Hunt, is an big budget affair very much in the style of John Huston's The Man Who Would Be King, which was released the previous year. Both films follow the antics of a couple of charismatic rogues in exotic settings. The film is based on the novel by author Wilbur Smith, who also co-wrote the screenplay. The movie was shot in between Roger Moore's second and third James Bond films, The Man With the Golden Gun and The Spy Who Loved Me and boasts a "who's who" of Eon Productions talent. Peter Hunt had edited the early Bond films and directed On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Ironically, Moore and Hunt never worked on a 007 film together but in...
Timeless Media have released the epic 1976 adventure film Shout at the Devil as a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. The movie, produced by Michael Klinger and directed by Peter Hunt, is an big budget affair very much in the style of John Huston's The Man Who Would Be King, which was released the previous year. Both films follow the antics of a couple of charismatic rogues in exotic settings. The film is based on the novel by author Wilbur Smith, who also co-wrote the screenplay. The movie was shot in between Roger Moore's second and third James Bond films, The Man With the Golden Gun and The Spy Who Loved Me and boasts a "who's who" of Eon Productions talent. Peter Hunt had edited the early Bond films and directed On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Ironically, Moore and Hunt never worked on a 007 film together but in...
- 3/14/2014
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Director Tobe Hooper made quite a name for himself in the 70′s and 80′s with horror films like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Funhouse, Salem’s Lot and Poltergeist. I’m sure he surprised many fans following up a “family friendly” blockbuster like Poltergeist with a sci-fi film that was anything but. Based on the novel The Space Vampires by Colin Wilson, Lifeforce is a strange tale of intergalactic visitors who seduce and destroy everything in their path.
On a voyage to study Haley’s Comet, a space crew headed by Colonel Tom Carlsen (Steve Railsback) discover a space vessel inhabited by giant bat-like creatures and decide to take a specimen back to Earth. When a shuttle is sent from Earth to retrieve the team, they discover the crew is missing and the shuttle they were in is burned to a crisp. The rescue team stumbles upon the source...
On a voyage to study Haley’s Comet, a space crew headed by Colonel Tom Carlsen (Steve Railsback) discover a space vessel inhabited by giant bat-like creatures and decide to take a specimen back to Earth. When a shuttle is sent from Earth to retrieve the team, they discover the crew is missing and the shuttle they were in is burned to a crisp. The rescue team stumbles upon the source...
- 6/20/2013
- by Derek Botelho
- DailyDead
StudioCanal have recently released a couple of Amicus Production classics by veteran film director Kevin Connor. The set on offer includes a few of his early classics ranging from the lesser known At The Earth’s Core and Warlords of Atlantis to the cult classic The Land that Time Forgot.
Now available on DVD I somehow found myself in the privileged position of interviewing the 70-something while apparently on his lunch break from filming. He’s obviously still going strong.
It’s my understanding that Milton Subotsky gave you your break in directing because he thought that editors make good directors. How exactly did that come about?
In the early 70’s I optioned a dozen short stories from Chetwynd Hayes entitled ‘The Unbidden’ thinking to make a TV series out of them. Myself and two friends adapted them into half hour films and unsuccessfully shopped them around the TV world.
Now available on DVD I somehow found myself in the privileged position of interviewing the 70-something while apparently on his lunch break from filming. He’s obviously still going strong.
It’s my understanding that Milton Subotsky gave you your break in directing because he thought that editors make good directors. How exactly did that come about?
In the early 70’s I optioned a dozen short stories from Chetwynd Hayes entitled ‘The Unbidden’ thinking to make a TV series out of them. Myself and two friends adapted them into half hour films and unsuccessfully shopped them around the TV world.
- 8/7/2012
- by Ross Jones-Morris
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The latest issue (#13) of the UK-based James Bond magazine MI6 Confidential is now shipping and, as usual, there's plenty of great articles and eye candy for fans. What I admire most about this slick publication is their dedication to covering all possible aspects of the Bond phenomenon. Consider the contents of this issue, which concentrates on the artistry of all things 007:
A look at the life and work of the great artist Richard Chopping, who provided those legendary covers for the early Ian Fleming British hardback novels. An excerpt from Bond cinematographer Alan Hume's forthcoming autobiography in which he candidly recounts filming A View to a Kill. A tribute to Russian-born artist Yaroslav Horak, who created great Bond comic strip art in the 1960s and 1970s Interview with Kevin Walker, the artist who illustrated Charlie Higson's Young Bond book A celebration of the career of legendary production...
A look at the life and work of the great artist Richard Chopping, who provided those legendary covers for the early Ian Fleming British hardback novels. An excerpt from Bond cinematographer Alan Hume's forthcoming autobiography in which he candidly recounts filming A View to a Kill. A tribute to Russian-born artist Yaroslav Horak, who created great Bond comic strip art in the 1960s and 1970s Interview with Kevin Walker, the artist who illustrated Charlie Higson's Young Bond book A celebration of the career of legendary production...
- 2/4/2012
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Tremors? Nightbreed? Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat? 976-evil? Are all on the list this year. And though there were not huge horror wins in sound editing through screenplays, the Technical Awards never cease to bring out the horror veterans. Notably Tim Drnec who contributed to such VHS classics as Alien Seed, Destroyer, and Prison won for his work on “Spydercam 3D volumetric suspended cable camera technologies.” An award also shared with Ben Britten Smith and Matt Davis who both also worked on Constantine.
But among all the winners, the Academy also honored some great loses in 2010. And though they mentioned some of our heroes, Dennis Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2), Kevin McCarthy (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) and Dino de Laurentiis (King Kong), they did not mention Zelda Rubinstein or Corey Haim. But we will in this last section and the others lost to us last year.
So farewell fight fans and remember,...
But among all the winners, the Academy also honored some great loses in 2010. And though they mentioned some of our heroes, Dennis Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2), Kevin McCarthy (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) and Dino de Laurentiis (King Kong), they did not mention Zelda Rubinstein or Corey Haim. But we will in this last section and the others lost to us last year.
So farewell fight fans and remember,...
- 3/13/2011
- by Heather Buckley
- DreadCentral.com
Thank you for visiting ScottFeinberg.com for live coverage of the 83rd Academy Awards! Keep refreshing your browser for all the latest stats/developments — new updates will push down older updates so that you won’t have to scroll down.
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The show ends movingly — if somewhat randomly — with the Ps-22 Staten Island Chorus performing “Over the Rainbow” as all of the evening’s winners join them on-stage, with many singing along. Franco and Hathaway wind up bringing in the show only 10 minutes late (most years run way over), and although it was far from the funniest or most dramatic production, it wasn’t as bad as some are making it out to be (Roger Ebert just Tweeted that it was “the worst Oscarcast I’ve ever seen!”). Franco seemed like he didn’t want to be there (it must have been brutal trying to prepare for this only on the...
* * *
The show ends movingly — if somewhat randomly — with the Ps-22 Staten Island Chorus performing “Over the Rainbow” as all of the evening’s winners join them on-stage, with many singing along. Franco and Hathaway wind up bringing in the show only 10 minutes late (most years run way over), and although it was far from the funniest or most dramatic production, it wasn’t as bad as some are making it out to be (Roger Ebert just Tweeted that it was “the worst Oscarcast I’ve ever seen!”). Franco seemed like he didn’t want to be there (it must have been brutal trying to prepare for this only on the...
- 2/27/2011
- by Scott Feinberg
- Scott Feinberg
Cinematographer known for his work on the Carry On films
Despite, or because of, the ancient, dirty jokes, schoolboy humour, double entendres, and a string of hammy actors tele- graphing each jest with pursed lips, rolling eyes or a snigger, the Carry On films have an army of devotees. Among the most regular actors were Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Sid James, Joan Sims and Kenneth Connor, and behind the camera, on almost all of the 30 Carry On movies, was the cinematographer Alan Hume, who has died aged 85.
Hume started as camera operator on the very first, Carry On Sergeant (1958), soon becoming director of photography (Dp) on Carry On Regardless (1961), and continuing as Dp until Carry On Columbus (1992) ended the franchise. Though few would make any artistic claims for the films, they were competently shot, rapidly, on a shoestring. Because of the rapport Hume built up over a long period with...
Despite, or because of, the ancient, dirty jokes, schoolboy humour, double entendres, and a string of hammy actors tele- graphing each jest with pursed lips, rolling eyes or a snigger, the Carry On films have an army of devotees. Among the most regular actors were Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Sid James, Joan Sims and Kenneth Connor, and behind the camera, on almost all of the 30 Carry On movies, was the cinematographer Alan Hume, who has died aged 85.
Hume started as camera operator on the very first, Carry On Sergeant (1958), soon becoming director of photography (Dp) on Carry On Regardless (1961), and continuing as Dp until Carry On Columbus (1992) ended the franchise. Though few would make any artistic claims for the films, they were competently shot, rapidly, on a shoestring. Because of the rapport Hume built up over a long period with...
- 8/17/2010
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Alan Hume, one of the most accomplished directors of photography has died aged 85.A veteran of over 100 films, Alan Hume began his career as a clapper boy on David Lean's In Which We Serve, Great Expectations and Oliver Twist. He progressed up the ranks to focus puller by his third film with Lean. When Our Girl Friday (starring a young Joan Collins) came along in 1953, Hume was promoted to camera operator and shot 27 more films as camera operator in 7 years. He gained a reputation for being fast, efficient and a brilliant photographer - which deeply impressed Carry On producer Peter Rogers, who put Hume under contract and offered him the chance to become a director of photography in 1960 on No Kidding. Over the next forty years, Hume lit over 150 films and TV shows.Among his credits were fifteen Carry On films, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Stepping Out,...
- 7/13/2010
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
When the film originally opened May 25, 1983, the newspaper ads for episode six of George Lucas' "Star Wars" saga had a boxed warning for moviegoers that read, "May be too intense for very young children."
Another appropriate warning might have read, "May be too infantile for mature fans of the first two films."
Fourteen years later, "Return of the Jedi" still rates as a huge disappointment, but it's a beloved classic for many and poised to seduce more young fans and harvest another boxoffice bounty as part of 20th Century Fox's phenomenal "Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition" rereleases.
In keeping with the retooled "Star Wars" and "The Empire Strikes Back", minor additions and improvements have been made to "Jedi", including expanded sequences in the lair of villain Jabba the Hutt.
Alas, it is this opening section of the film in both versions that departs from the darker tone of "Empire" and commences a safer plunge into nonhuman corniness.
Jabba is still an impressive lump of malevolence, but many of the new creatures and humorous elements are more silly than wondrous. Charismatic droids C-3PO and R2D2 are offered as gifts by full-blown Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) to help earn the release of Han Solo (Harrison Ford).
In a scene reminiscent of the droids' capture by Jawas on Tatooine in the first film, the mechanical rebels are taken to a torture chamber, where other robots are seen suffering. Kids might giggle and squirm at the mock violence, but it's hard to forget that C-3PO was dismembered in the first two films and displayed no pain.
Recalling the first film's celebrated cantina scene, the "Jedi Rocks" musical number has been reworked to include more material with the green-skinned slave Oola (Femi Taylor), new character Yuzzum and new moves for the bizarre singer Sy Snootles. The new filmed and digitally created material is seamlessly interwoven, but the scene is still unbearably cute.
Unfortunately, there's much more to come, including the tiresome Ewoks, teddy bears with a "primitive" tribal culture and the belated ferocity of aroused villagers in a samurai movie. Once again, the younger the viewer, the more likely one is to respond uncritically to this gambit.
An overall problem with the series and this film in particular is perhaps a minor but impossible-to-avoid technicality. The eyes of most of the nonhuman creatures, including the co-pilot of Lando Calrissian Billy Dee Williams), are unconvincing.
Similarly, the grand themes of Luke's secret past and relationship to Darth Vader, Leia's emergence as another potential Jedi Knight, and the prescient emperor's manipulation of events are dealt with, but the storytelling so promisingly expanded in "Empire" actually devolves. We learn Vader's real name and find out what he looks like under that helmet, but the nature of the Force remains vague and simplistic.
There are still several exciting sequences, and the climactic space battle and assault on the new Death Star are visually splendid. Directed by Richard Marquand ("Jagged Edge") and filmed in widescreen by Alan Hume, "Return of the Jedi" features another rousing Oscar-nominated score by John Williams. But the film, like the music, seems more content with repeating successful elements of the first two "Star Wars" movies and not taking the risks that made its progenitors such major cinematic achievements.
RETURN OF THE JEDI: SPECIAL EDITION
20th Century Fox
A Lucasfilm Ltd. production
Director Richard Marquand
Producer Howard Kazanjian
Writers Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas
Executive producer George Lucas
Director of photography Alan Hume
Production designer Norman Reynolds
Music John Williams
Color/stereo
Cast:
Luke Skywalker Mark Hamill
Han Solo Harrison Ford
Princess Leia Carrie Fisher
Lando Calrissian Billy Dee Williams
Obi-Wan Kenobi Alec Guinness
C-3PO Anthony Daniels
R2D2 Kenny Baker
Chewbacca Peter Mayhew
Darth Vader David Prowse
Emperor Ian McDiarmid
Running time -- 133 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Another appropriate warning might have read, "May be too infantile for mature fans of the first two films."
Fourteen years later, "Return of the Jedi" still rates as a huge disappointment, but it's a beloved classic for many and poised to seduce more young fans and harvest another boxoffice bounty as part of 20th Century Fox's phenomenal "Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition" rereleases.
In keeping with the retooled "Star Wars" and "The Empire Strikes Back", minor additions and improvements have been made to "Jedi", including expanded sequences in the lair of villain Jabba the Hutt.
Alas, it is this opening section of the film in both versions that departs from the darker tone of "Empire" and commences a safer plunge into nonhuman corniness.
Jabba is still an impressive lump of malevolence, but many of the new creatures and humorous elements are more silly than wondrous. Charismatic droids C-3PO and R2D2 are offered as gifts by full-blown Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) to help earn the release of Han Solo (Harrison Ford).
In a scene reminiscent of the droids' capture by Jawas on Tatooine in the first film, the mechanical rebels are taken to a torture chamber, where other robots are seen suffering. Kids might giggle and squirm at the mock violence, but it's hard to forget that C-3PO was dismembered in the first two films and displayed no pain.
Recalling the first film's celebrated cantina scene, the "Jedi Rocks" musical number has been reworked to include more material with the green-skinned slave Oola (Femi Taylor), new character Yuzzum and new moves for the bizarre singer Sy Snootles. The new filmed and digitally created material is seamlessly interwoven, but the scene is still unbearably cute.
Unfortunately, there's much more to come, including the tiresome Ewoks, teddy bears with a "primitive" tribal culture and the belated ferocity of aroused villagers in a samurai movie. Once again, the younger the viewer, the more likely one is to respond uncritically to this gambit.
An overall problem with the series and this film in particular is perhaps a minor but impossible-to-avoid technicality. The eyes of most of the nonhuman creatures, including the co-pilot of Lando Calrissian Billy Dee Williams), are unconvincing.
Similarly, the grand themes of Luke's secret past and relationship to Darth Vader, Leia's emergence as another potential Jedi Knight, and the prescient emperor's manipulation of events are dealt with, but the storytelling so promisingly expanded in "Empire" actually devolves. We learn Vader's real name and find out what he looks like under that helmet, but the nature of the Force remains vague and simplistic.
There are still several exciting sequences, and the climactic space battle and assault on the new Death Star are visually splendid. Directed by Richard Marquand ("Jagged Edge") and filmed in widescreen by Alan Hume, "Return of the Jedi" features another rousing Oscar-nominated score by John Williams. But the film, like the music, seems more content with repeating successful elements of the first two "Star Wars" movies and not taking the risks that made its progenitors such major cinematic achievements.
RETURN OF THE JEDI: SPECIAL EDITION
20th Century Fox
A Lucasfilm Ltd. production
Director Richard Marquand
Producer Howard Kazanjian
Writers Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas
Executive producer George Lucas
Director of photography Alan Hume
Production designer Norman Reynolds
Music John Williams
Color/stereo
Cast:
Luke Skywalker Mark Hamill
Han Solo Harrison Ford
Princess Leia Carrie Fisher
Lando Calrissian Billy Dee Williams
Obi-Wan Kenobi Alec Guinness
C-3PO Anthony Daniels
R2D2 Kenny Baker
Chewbacca Peter Mayhew
Darth Vader David Prowse
Emperor Ian McDiarmid
Running time -- 133 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 3/14/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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