Robert Aldrich's great war film "The Dirty Dozen" wasn't the first men-on-a-mission movie, but it is generally held up today at the apotheosis of the form. The tale of the U.S. Army's most vicious convicts getting assigned to a suicide mission deep behind enemy lines during World War II, with the promise of a pardon should they survive, is stocked with the toughest of the tough guys of the late 1960s. Lee Marvin heads up the brass-knuckle ensemble as the no-nonsense Major John Reisman, who's stuck with the unenviable task of shaping up a unit of anti-authoritarian malcontents or straight-up psychopaths. With troublemakers and nose-breakers like Charles Bronson, George Kennedy, Jim Brown, Robert Ryan, Telly Savalas, and John Cassavetes along for the ride, "The Dirty Dozen" became more than just the perfect "men-on-a-mission" movie: it was the ultimate guy flick.
We call them "Dad Movies" nowadays. They're the...
We call them "Dad Movies" nowadays. They're the...
- 3/19/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Any time we at Cinema Retro might feel self-congratulatory about staying in print for sixteen years, we're immediately humbled by the fact that Dick Klemensen has been publishing Little Shoppe of Horrors magazine since 1972. You read that right...1972, the same year it seemed like a good idea to re-elect Richard Nixon in the biggest landslide in American history and Marlon Brando regained his mojo as The Godfather. Since then, Dick's magazine has been the gold standard for coverage of everything and anything to do with the Hammer films horror classics. The vast majority of every issue is dedicated to Hammer and yet he never gets repetitive. Dick started to reach out to the Hammer stars, directors, producers and technicians in the early 1970s and thus acquired a priceless archive of their stories and memories during an era in which most critics didn't take the films seriously. Dick's latest issue features...
- 8/17/2020
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Powerhouse Indicator continues its series of exotic attractions from the house of Hammer — productions that found new ways to shock audiences than tradition-breaking gore and violence. Two are war pictures with sharply contrasting themes, and the second pair constitute a popular-cinema referendum on racist colonial attitudes.
Hammer Volume 3 Blood and Terror
Blu-ray
The Camp on Blood Island, Yesterday’s Enemy, The Stranglers of Bombay, The Terror of the Tongs
Powerhouse Indicator
1958-1960 / Color / B&W / 1:85, 2:35 widescreen / / Street Date July 30, 2018 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £44.99
Directed by Val Guest, Terence Fisher, Anthony Bushell
It’s true — unless one is a full-on Hammer true believer that considers The Brigand of Kandahar and Creatures the World Forgot to be timeless classics, delving into the lesser-known Hammer films can be a case of diminishing returns. But when the company got truly creative, either with a radical screenplay or a committed director — Terence Fisher,...
Hammer Volume 3 Blood and Terror
Blu-ray
The Camp on Blood Island, Yesterday’s Enemy, The Stranglers of Bombay, The Terror of the Tongs
Powerhouse Indicator
1958-1960 / Color / B&W / 1:85, 2:35 widescreen / / Street Date July 30, 2018 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £44.99
Directed by Val Guest, Terence Fisher, Anthony Bushell
It’s true — unless one is a full-on Hammer true believer that considers The Brigand of Kandahar and Creatures the World Forgot to be timeless classics, delving into the lesser-known Hammer films can be a case of diminishing returns. But when the company got truly creative, either with a radical screenplay or a committed director — Terence Fisher,...
- 8/14/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
On June 15, 1967, MGM unveiled the 149-minute World War II thriller The Dirty Dozen, featuring a template that would be echoed in action films for decades. The Hollywood Reporter's original review of the film is below.
The Dirty Dozen, a Kenneth Hyman production for MGM, is the beneficiary of extensive advance publicity and excitement and has a strong, virile cast to deliver both the brutalizing violence and grotesque comedy which will make it one of MGM's big money pictures of the year. It is overlong, uneven and frequently obscure, but will succeed by virtue of its sustained action,...
The Dirty Dozen, a Kenneth Hyman production for MGM, is the beneficiary of extensive advance publicity and excitement and has a strong, virile cast to deliver both the brutalizing violence and grotesque comedy which will make it one of MGM's big money pictures of the year. It is overlong, uneven and frequently obscure, but will succeed by virtue of its sustained action,...
- 6/12/2017
- by THR Staff
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
MGM British Studios: Hollywood in Borehamwood
By Derek Pykett (Published by BearManor Media £20.00), 444 Pages, Softcover, Isbn: 9781593938833 (also available £26.50 Hardcover)
Review by Tim Greaves
Several of the greatest films of all time were made at MGM British Studios and some of Hollywood's most prolific names laid foot upon the stages there. In an eminently readable trip down memory lane, “MGM British Studios: Hollywood in Borehamwood” is a bounteous treasure trove primarily comprising interesting and amusing memories of some of those who had the privilege to work there. Sub-titled "Celebrating 100 Years of the Film Studios of Elstree/Borehamwood", the tome boasts a voluminous collection of stories from those who worked in front of and behind the camera back in those halcyon days – some names are familiar, others not so much, but all of them have tales to tell; if nothing else, author Derek Pykett deserves an award for his prowess in undertaking...
By Derek Pykett (Published by BearManor Media £20.00), 444 Pages, Softcover, Isbn: 9781593938833 (also available £26.50 Hardcover)
Review by Tim Greaves
Several of the greatest films of all time were made at MGM British Studios and some of Hollywood's most prolific names laid foot upon the stages there. In an eminently readable trip down memory lane, “MGM British Studios: Hollywood in Borehamwood” is a bounteous treasure trove primarily comprising interesting and amusing memories of some of those who had the privilege to work there. Sub-titled "Celebrating 100 Years of the Film Studios of Elstree/Borehamwood", the tome boasts a voluminous collection of stories from those who worked in front of and behind the camera back in those halcyon days – some names are familiar, others not so much, but all of them have tales to tell; if nothing else, author Derek Pykett deserves an award for his prowess in undertaking...
- 12/31/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.