Catering directly to my interests, the Criterion Channel’s January lineup boasts two of my favorite things: James Gray and cats. In the former case it’s his first five features (itself a terrible reminder he only released five movies in 20 years); the latter shows felines the respect they deserve, from Kuroneko to The Long Goodbye, Tourneur’s Cat People and Mick Garris’ Sleepwalkers. Meanwhile, Ava Gardner, Bertrand Tavernier, Isabel Sandoval, Ken Russell, Juleen Compton, George Harrison’s HandMade Films, and the Sundance Film Festival get retrospectives.
Restorations of Soviet sci-fi trip Ikarie Xb 1, The Unknown, and The Music of Regret stream, as does the recent Plan 75. January’s Criterion Editions are Inside Llewyn Davis, Farewell Amor, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and (most intriguingly) the long-out-of-print The Man Who Fell to Earth, Blu-rays of which go for hundreds of dollars.
See the lineup below and learn more here.
Back By Popular Demand
The Graduate,...
Restorations of Soviet sci-fi trip Ikarie Xb 1, The Unknown, and The Music of Regret stream, as does the recent Plan 75. January’s Criterion Editions are Inside Llewyn Davis, Farewell Amor, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and (most intriguingly) the long-out-of-print The Man Who Fell to Earth, Blu-rays of which go for hundreds of dollars.
See the lineup below and learn more here.
Back By Popular Demand
The Graduate,...
- 12/12/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Famed comedic actor Don Knotts was best known for his role as Barney Fife in The Andy Griffith Show. But he had a hugely successful, varied career that lasted half a century. One of his fan-favorite roles was when he played a fish-obsessed-man-turned-fish in The Incredible Mr. Limpet. Here’s a look back at the 1964 film and Knotts’ role in it.
Don Knotts | Hulton Archive/Getty Images Who was in ‘The Incredible Mr. Limpet’
The Incredible Mr. Limpet was produced by Warner Bros and featured Knotts in the starring role. The film also hosted such names as Carole Cook, Jack Weston, Andrew Duggan, Larry Keating, Oscar Beregi Jr, Charles Meredith, and Elizabeth MacRae. The live-action portion of the movie was directed by Arthur Lubin. Bill Tytla, Robert McKimson, Hawley Pratt, and Gerry Chiniquy directed the animation. The Incredible Mr. Limpet features songs “Super Doodle Dandy,” “I Wish I Were A Fish,...
Don Knotts | Hulton Archive/Getty Images Who was in ‘The Incredible Mr. Limpet’
The Incredible Mr. Limpet was produced by Warner Bros and featured Knotts in the starring role. The film also hosted such names as Carole Cook, Jack Weston, Andrew Duggan, Larry Keating, Oscar Beregi Jr, Charles Meredith, and Elizabeth MacRae. The live-action portion of the movie was directed by Arthur Lubin. Bill Tytla, Robert McKimson, Hawley Pratt, and Gerry Chiniquy directed the animation. The Incredible Mr. Limpet features songs “Super Doodle Dandy,” “I Wish I Were A Fish,...
- 5/11/2023
- by Kelsey Goeres
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Boris Karloff: The Man Behind The Monster director Thomas Hamilton on his upcoming series Horror Icons on interviewing Roger Corman: “He not only worked with Vincent Price, he worked with Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone, Lon Chaney.” Photo: Thomas Hamilton
Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone, Conrad Veidt, Maria Ouspenskaya, George Zukor, Paul Wegener, Emil Jannings, Brigitte Helm, Gale Sondergaard, Gloria Holden, Claude Rains, Fay Wray, Duane Jones, Max Schreck, Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Lon Chaney Sr., Lon Chaney Jr, Fw Murnau’s Faust and Nosferatu, Arthur Lubin’s Phantom of the Opera, Rowland V. Lee’s Son of Frankenstein, George Waggner’s The Wolf Man, James Whale’s The Invisible Man, Lambert Hillyer’s Dracula’s Daughter, Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Paul Wegener and Henrik Galeen’s The Golem, Hanns Heinz Ewers and Stellan Rye’s The Student Of Prague, and George Romero’s Night Of The Living Dead...
Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone, Conrad Veidt, Maria Ouspenskaya, George Zukor, Paul Wegener, Emil Jannings, Brigitte Helm, Gale Sondergaard, Gloria Holden, Claude Rains, Fay Wray, Duane Jones, Max Schreck, Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Lon Chaney Sr., Lon Chaney Jr, Fw Murnau’s Faust and Nosferatu, Arthur Lubin’s Phantom of the Opera, Rowland V. Lee’s Son of Frankenstein, George Waggner’s The Wolf Man, James Whale’s The Invisible Man, Lambert Hillyer’s Dracula’s Daughter, Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Paul Wegener and Henrik Galeen’s The Golem, Hanns Heinz Ewers and Stellan Rye’s The Student Of Prague, and George Romero’s Night Of The Living Dead...
- 4/1/2023
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The cliche "everyone's gotta start somewhere" is meant to be reassuring. In showbiz, however, getting that start requires a bit of good fortune in and of itself. Whether you're working in the mailroom at CAA or bopping from set to set as a background player, you've likely used a connection or two to get yourself in the figurative ballpark. Maybe your college buddy knew a guy at an agency. Perhaps you were bartending at a popular industry watering hole. Getting noticed is often a fluke. Taking the next step is a winning lottery ticket.
Take Clint Eastwood for example. He wasn't a natural-born genius like Montgomery Clift or Marlon Brando. He was a handsome, young, 6'4" swimming instructor at Ford Ord in Northern California when, according to his biographer Patrick McGilligan, he met a connected photographer named Chuck Hill. When Eastwood relocated to Los Angeles, Hill convinced his friend to...
Take Clint Eastwood for example. He wasn't a natural-born genius like Montgomery Clift or Marlon Brando. He was a handsome, young, 6'4" swimming instructor at Ford Ord in Northern California when, according to his biographer Patrick McGilligan, he met a connected photographer named Chuck Hill. When Eastwood relocated to Los Angeles, Hill convinced his friend to...
- 2/6/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Holidays loom, but don’t fear TBS marathons of A Christmas Story. If, like me, you once enacted some good and let studio classics stream on Criterion during family Christmas, you know the trip home will be easier with December’s additions. (People at Criterion: please don’t report me for logging into multiple devices.) As family arrives, drinks are downed, and questions about what you’ve been up to are stumbled through it’ll be nice to stream their “Screwball Comedy Classics” series—25 titles meeting some deep cuts (10 via Venmo if you’ve recently watched It Happens Every Spring).
Personally I’m most excited about the 11 movies in “Snow Westerns,” going as far back as The Secret of Convict Lake, as recently as Ravenous, with the likes of Wellman, Peckinpah, and Corbucci in-between. I personally cannot stand soccer but I appreciate the World Cup giving occasion for a series...
Personally I’m most excited about the 11 movies in “Snow Westerns,” going as far back as The Secret of Convict Lake, as recently as Ravenous, with the likes of Wellman, Peckinpah, and Corbucci in-between. I personally cannot stand soccer but I appreciate the World Cup giving occasion for a series...
- 11/22/2022
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Francis the Talking Mule – 7 Film Collection
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1950 – 1957 / 1.33:1, 2:1, 1.85:1
Starring Donald O’Connor, Chill Wills, Piper Laurie, Julie Adams
Written by David Stern, Oscar Brodney
Directed by Arthur Lubin, Charles Lamont
Born in 1909, David “Tom” Stern III was a journalist who lived a long and prosperous life—his father was media magnate J. David Stern, publisher of the now-defunct Philadelphia Record, the New York Post, and New Jersey’s Courier-Post. The younger Stern emulated his father’s success in the newspaper business; by 1949, Stern III was able to purchase the New Orleans Item-Tribune for 2,000,000. The rest of his fortune arrived in 1946 with Francis, The Talking Mule, Stern’s tall tale about a loquacious donkey. The scope of the book’s success was almost as unreal as the mule itself. In 1999, on Stern’s 90th birthday, a friend dedicated this verse;
Here’s a toast to Tom Stern
A man of great class.
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1950 – 1957 / 1.33:1, 2:1, 1.85:1
Starring Donald O’Connor, Chill Wills, Piper Laurie, Julie Adams
Written by David Stern, Oscar Brodney
Directed by Arthur Lubin, Charles Lamont
Born in 1909, David “Tom” Stern III was a journalist who lived a long and prosperous life—his father was media magnate J. David Stern, publisher of the now-defunct Philadelphia Record, the New York Post, and New Jersey’s Courier-Post. The younger Stern emulated his father’s success in the newspaper business; by 1949, Stern III was able to purchase the New Orleans Item-Tribune for 2,000,000. The rest of his fortune arrived in 1946 with Francis, The Talking Mule, Stern’s tall tale about a loquacious donkey. The scope of the book’s success was almost as unreal as the mule itself. In 1999, on Stern’s 90th birthday, a friend dedicated this verse;
Here’s a toast to Tom Stern
A man of great class.
- 5/14/2022
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
The Spider Woman Strikes Back
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1946/ B&w / 1.33:1 / 59 Minutes
Starring Gale Sondergaard, Brenda Joyce, Kirby Grant
Directed by Arthur Lubin
People are measured by the company they keep—in a superhero’s case, that company is usually the supervillain. Villains, besides giving the hero a reason to exist in the first place, can liven up the joint; a dam burst here, a toppled bridge there, chaos and special effects ensue, and the popcorn munchers are happy. Sherlock Holmes was one of the few heroes who was fun all by himself (due respect to Dr. Watson)—the detective’s obsessive-compulsive brilliance, his monkish lifestyle, and his fondness for beekeeping and cocaine were just some of his more endearing quirks.
The filmed versions of Conan Doyle’s most famous character—not a superhero but seemingly immortal—were not so concerned with Holmes’s idiosyncrasies. This was especially true...
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1946/ B&w / 1.33:1 / 59 Minutes
Starring Gale Sondergaard, Brenda Joyce, Kirby Grant
Directed by Arthur Lubin
People are measured by the company they keep—in a superhero’s case, that company is usually the supervillain. Villains, besides giving the hero a reason to exist in the first place, can liven up the joint; a dam burst here, a toppled bridge there, chaos and special effects ensue, and the popcorn munchers are happy. Sherlock Holmes was one of the few heroes who was fun all by himself (due respect to Dr. Watson)—the detective’s obsessive-compulsive brilliance, his monkish lifestyle, and his fondness for beekeeping and cocaine were just some of his more endearing quirks.
The filmed versions of Conan Doyle’s most famous character—not a superhero but seemingly immortal—were not so concerned with Holmes’s idiosyncrasies. This was especially true...
- 1/29/2022
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
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...
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...
- 11/1/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
The Criterion Channel’s stellar offerings are continuing next month with a selection of new releases, retrospective, series, and more. Leading the pack is, of course, a horror lineup perfectly timed for Halloween, featuring ’70s classics and underseen gems, including Abel Ferrara’s The Driller Killer (pictured above), Tobe Hopper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, early films by David Cronenberg, Wes Craven, and Brian De Palma, Bill Gunn’s Ganja & Hess, and more.
Also of note is a New Korean Cinema retrospective, featuring a new introduction by critic Grady Hendrix and a conversation between directors Bong Joon Ho and Park Chan-wook, whose Barking Dogs Never Bite, The Host, Mother, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and Lady Vengeance are part of the lineup, as well as Lee Myung-se’s Nowhere to Hide, and more titles to be announced. Bong’s short Influenza will also arrive, paired with Michael Haneke’s Caché.
Also of note is a New Korean Cinema retrospective, featuring a new introduction by critic Grady Hendrix and a conversation between directors Bong Joon Ho and Park Chan-wook, whose Barking Dogs Never Bite, The Host, Mother, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and Lady Vengeance are part of the lineup, as well as Lee Myung-se’s Nowhere to Hide, and more titles to be announced. Bong’s short Influenza will also arrive, paired with Michael Haneke’s Caché.
- 9/29/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1944/ 87 min.
Starring Maria Montez, Jon Hall
Cinematography by George Robinson
Directed by Arthur Lubin
Thanks to George Robinson’s Technicolor photography and Vera West’s kaleidoscopic costumes, death and destruction look pretty as a picture in 1944’s Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Director Arthur Lubin’s action fantasy is no patch on the Fleischer brothers’ Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba’s Forty Thieves but this Universal Pictures release is a cheerfully unassuming time-killer.
This Arabian Nights fable about a caliph’s son who grows up to lead a band of robbers contains a few nuggets of actual history; the movie’s bloodthirsty villain, Hulagu Khan, was indeed the grandson of the infamous Genghis. Hulagu was a thug who didn’t fall far from the tree; he conquered Baghdad and then decimated it, sending the then storybook city into a spiral.
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1944/ 87 min.
Starring Maria Montez, Jon Hall
Cinematography by George Robinson
Directed by Arthur Lubin
Thanks to George Robinson’s Technicolor photography and Vera West’s kaleidoscopic costumes, death and destruction look pretty as a picture in 1944’s Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Director Arthur Lubin’s action fantasy is no patch on the Fleischer brothers’ Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba’s Forty Thieves but this Universal Pictures release is a cheerfully unassuming time-killer.
This Arabian Nights fable about a caliph’s son who grows up to lead a band of robbers contains a few nuggets of actual history; the movie’s bloodthirsty villain, Hulagu Khan, was indeed the grandson of the infamous Genghis. Hulagu was a thug who didn’t fall far from the tree; he conquered Baghdad and then decimated it, sending the then storybook city into a spiral.
- 8/8/2020
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
The Thief of Baghdad
Blu ray – All Region
Colosseo Film
1961 /100 min.
Starring Steve Reeves, Georgia Moll, Arturo Dominici
Cinematography by Tonino Delli Colli
Directed by Arthur Lubin
When he shuffled off this mortal coil in 1995, Arthur Lubin’s New York Times obituary was titled “Arthur Lubin, 96, Director Of ‘Mr. Ed’ TV Series, Dies.” It’s doubtful the prolific Lubin would have complained about that particular credit headlining his accomplishments; the man who directed Karloff and Lugosi, jumpstarted Abbott and Costello’s film career and gave Clint Eastwood his first break, also had a thing for talking animals. In 1950 he bought the rights to a book about a talking mule and began a series of hit comedies starring a four-legged chatterbox named Francis and his two-legged pal played by Donald O’Connor.
Industrious to a fault, Lubin’s career was spent crisscrossing from theater to film to television and back again yet...
Blu ray – All Region
Colosseo Film
1961 /100 min.
Starring Steve Reeves, Georgia Moll, Arturo Dominici
Cinematography by Tonino Delli Colli
Directed by Arthur Lubin
When he shuffled off this mortal coil in 1995, Arthur Lubin’s New York Times obituary was titled “Arthur Lubin, 96, Director Of ‘Mr. Ed’ TV Series, Dies.” It’s doubtful the prolific Lubin would have complained about that particular credit headlining his accomplishments; the man who directed Karloff and Lugosi, jumpstarted Abbott and Costello’s film career and gave Clint Eastwood his first break, also had a thing for talking animals. In 1950 he bought the rights to a book about a talking mule and began a series of hit comedies starring a four-legged chatterbox named Francis and his two-legged pal played by Donald O’Connor.
Industrious to a fault, Lubin’s career was spent crisscrossing from theater to film to television and back again yet...
- 7/11/2020
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Abbott & Costello – The Complete
Universal Pictures Collection
Blu ray
Shout! Factory
1940-1955/1:33-1:85
Starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff
Directed by Arthur Lubin, Erle C. Kenton, Charles Barton
Two footloose Jersey boys with no particular place to go, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello finally found themselves – literally and figuratively – on the burlesque stage. Their act, equal parts smart talk and ancient slapstick, was honed alongside curvy chorus girls and tassel-twirlers but it took a lady of a decidedly different stature to make them superstars. On March 24, 1938, Kate Smith, “The First Lady of Radio”, invited them to perform “Who’s On First”, a routine delivered with such hairpin curve precision it left listeners breathless. That appearance fast-tracked the duo to their own radio series and a contract with Universal Pictures.
They made their big screen debut in 1940’s One Night in the Tropics, a low budget...
Universal Pictures Collection
Blu ray
Shout! Factory
1940-1955/1:33-1:85
Starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff
Directed by Arthur Lubin, Erle C. Kenton, Charles Barton
Two footloose Jersey boys with no particular place to go, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello finally found themselves – literally and figuratively – on the burlesque stage. Their act, equal parts smart talk and ancient slapstick, was honed alongside curvy chorus girls and tassel-twirlers but it took a lady of a decidedly different stature to make them superstars. On March 24, 1938, Kate Smith, “The First Lady of Radio”, invited them to perform “Who’s On First”, a routine delivered with such hairpin curve precision it left listeners breathless. That appearance fast-tracked the duo to their own radio series and a contract with Universal Pictures.
They made their big screen debut in 1940’s One Night in the Tropics, a low budget...
- 12/7/2019
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Universal Horror Collection: Vol. 1
Blu ray
Shout! Factory
1934, ’35, ’36, ’40 / 1.33 : 1 / 66 / 61 / 79 / 70 min.
Starring Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi
Cinematography by John J. Mescall, Charles Stumar, George Robinson, Elwood Bredell
Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, Lew Landers, Lambert Hillyer, Arthur Lubin
Like the cat who swallowed the canary, Boris Karloff made for a serenely sinister antagonist. Even when portraying bloodthirsty devils like the vampire Gorca in The Three Faces of Fear or a debauched satanist looking for trouble in The Black Cat, “Dear Boris” was the very model of a well-mannered monster.
Bela Lugosi, Karloff’s unofficial rival on the Universal lot, showed similar restraint in his star-making turn as Dracula – but the same halting, imperious manner that gave otherworldly dignity to the Count would typecast Lugosi as a kind of oddball antihero – the cultivated eccentric driven to madness or worse. He approached each of those roles with a manic intensity that might net...
Blu ray
Shout! Factory
1934, ’35, ’36, ’40 / 1.33 : 1 / 66 / 61 / 79 / 70 min.
Starring Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi
Cinematography by John J. Mescall, Charles Stumar, George Robinson, Elwood Bredell
Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, Lew Landers, Lambert Hillyer, Arthur Lubin
Like the cat who swallowed the canary, Boris Karloff made for a serenely sinister antagonist. Even when portraying bloodthirsty devils like the vampire Gorca in The Three Faces of Fear or a debauched satanist looking for trouble in The Black Cat, “Dear Boris” was the very model of a well-mannered monster.
Bela Lugosi, Karloff’s unofficial rival on the Universal lot, showed similar restraint in his star-making turn as Dracula – but the same halting, imperious manner that gave otherworldly dignity to the Count would typecast Lugosi as a kind of oddball antihero – the cultivated eccentric driven to madness or worse. He approached each of those roles with a manic intensity that might net...
- 6/22/2019
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
This article marks Part 1 of the Gold Derby series reflecting on Horror Films at the Oscars. Join us as we look back at the spine-tingling movies that earned Academy Awards nominations, including the following films from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.
In considering history of horror cinema and its performance at the Oscars, it must first be acknowledged that a plethora of pictures from this genre were released prior to the very existence of the Academy Awards. The legendary likes of “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” (1920), “Nosferatu” (1922) and “The Phantom of the Opera” (1925), among others, all earned releases prior to the first Oscar ceremony, in 1928.
There were not many horror films eligible for consideration at the 1st Academy Awards – the most worthy of such recognition would have been “The Man Who Laughs” (1928), one of countless horror movies released in the first half of the century by Universal Pictures. The picture did not garner recognition,...
In considering history of horror cinema and its performance at the Oscars, it must first be acknowledged that a plethora of pictures from this genre were released prior to the very existence of the Academy Awards. The legendary likes of “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” (1920), “Nosferatu” (1922) and “The Phantom of the Opera” (1925), among others, all earned releases prior to the first Oscar ceremony, in 1928.
There were not many horror films eligible for consideration at the 1st Academy Awards – the most worthy of such recognition would have been “The Man Who Laughs” (1928), one of countless horror movies released in the first half of the century by Universal Pictures. The picture did not garner recognition,...
- 10/16/2018
- by Andrew Carden
- Gold Derby
Could this be retitled “Dial ‘F’ for Fog?” Jean Simmon’s greedy maid blackmails her employer Stewart Granger with proof that he murdered his wife, kicking off a criminal ‘deadlock’ in a London household. The cold-fish schemer Granger ponders his next murderous move while Simmons enjoys playing the lady of the house — having dared to leapfrog two social classes, she hopes that her victim will respond with kindness, not homicide. This gothic domestic murder tale should be required reading for marriage counselors.
Footsteps in the Fog
Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1955 / Color / 1:75 widescreen / 90 min. / Street Date July 30, 2018 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £14.99
Starring: Stewart Granger, Jean Simmons, Bill Travers, Belinda Lee, Ronald Squire, Finlay Currie, William Hartnell, Percy Marmont, Margery Rhodes, Barry Keegan, Victor Maddern, Erik Chitty.
Cinematography: Christopher Challis
Film Editor: Alan Osbiston
Original Music: Benjamin Frankel
Written by Dorothy Reid, Lenore Coffee, adapted by Arthur Pierson from a short...
Footsteps in the Fog
Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1955 / Color / 1:75 widescreen / 90 min. / Street Date July 30, 2018 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £14.99
Starring: Stewart Granger, Jean Simmons, Bill Travers, Belinda Lee, Ronald Squire, Finlay Currie, William Hartnell, Percy Marmont, Margery Rhodes, Barry Keegan, Victor Maddern, Erik Chitty.
Cinematography: Christopher Challis
Film Editor: Alan Osbiston
Original Music: Benjamin Frankel
Written by Dorothy Reid, Lenore Coffee, adapted by Arthur Pierson from a short...
- 7/31/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe - The Nice Guys Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Lethal Weapon and Lethal Weapon 2 writer and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Iron Man 3 director, Shane Black, sees Farewell, My Lovely, directed by Dick Richards, starring Robert Mitchum and Charlotte Rampling, Arthur Penn's Night Moves with Gene Hackman and Alan J. Pakula's Klute, starring Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland, as inspiration for his Nice Guys, Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe dressed by Kym Barrett. Crowe finds Stanley Kubrick's The Killing "still works today" and remarks how Quentin Tarantino uses its "fractured timeline" so well. Gosling grew up with Arthur Lubin's Hold That Ghost and Charles Barton's Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein and deems Fred Dekker's The Monster Squad, co-written by Black, worth quoting.
Ryan Gosling: "I grew up on Abbott and Costello movies." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Producer Joel Silver,...
Lethal Weapon and Lethal Weapon 2 writer and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Iron Man 3 director, Shane Black, sees Farewell, My Lovely, directed by Dick Richards, starring Robert Mitchum and Charlotte Rampling, Arthur Penn's Night Moves with Gene Hackman and Alan J. Pakula's Klute, starring Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland, as inspiration for his Nice Guys, Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe dressed by Kym Barrett. Crowe finds Stanley Kubrick's The Killing "still works today" and remarks how Quentin Tarantino uses its "fractured timeline" so well. Gosling grew up with Arthur Lubin's Hold That Ghost and Charles Barton's Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein and deems Fred Dekker's The Monster Squad, co-written by Black, worth quoting.
Ryan Gosling: "I grew up on Abbott and Costello movies." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Producer Joel Silver,...
- 5/14/2016
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The Phantom of the Opera
Written by John Jacoby, Samuel Hofffenstein, Eric Taylor
Directed by Arthur Lubin
U.S.A., 1943
It comes as a surprise to no one when stating that Hollywood is not averse to remaking movies. It is an old practice that goes back many decades, all the way back to the earliest days of the studio system. Great stories, apparently, bear retelling with more modern casts and more modern filmmaking techniques. In some cases, it is an issue of actually modernizing the setting, whereas in others instances the studio believes that audiences crave a new version of a familiar classic even though it was a period piece to begin with. Among several early attempts at refurbishing highly regarded motion pictures was 1943’s Phantom of the Opera, released not quite 20 years after the terrifying original and about 15 years after said original was itself the subject of tinkering to...
Written by John Jacoby, Samuel Hofffenstein, Eric Taylor
Directed by Arthur Lubin
U.S.A., 1943
It comes as a surprise to no one when stating that Hollywood is not averse to remaking movies. It is an old practice that goes back many decades, all the way back to the earliest days of the studio system. Great stories, apparently, bear retelling with more modern casts and more modern filmmaking techniques. In some cases, it is an issue of actually modernizing the setting, whereas in others instances the studio believes that audiences crave a new version of a familiar classic even though it was a period piece to begin with. Among several early attempts at refurbishing highly regarded motion pictures was 1943’s Phantom of the Opera, released not quite 20 years after the terrifying original and about 15 years after said original was itself the subject of tinkering to...
- 10/11/2015
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
Teresa Wright ca. 1945. Teresa Wright movies on TCM: 'The Little Foxes,' 'The Pride of the Yankees' Pretty, talented Teresa Wright made a relatively small number of movies: 28 in all, over the course of more than half a century. Most of her films have already been shown on Turner Classic Movies, so it's more than a little disappointing that TCM will not be presenting Teresa Wright rarities such as The Imperfect Lady and The Trouble with Women – two 1947 releases co-starring Ray Milland – on Aug. 4, '15, a "Summer Under the Stars" day dedicated to the only performer to date to have been shortlisted for Academy Awards for their first three film roles. TCM's Teresa Wright day would also have benefited from a presentation of The Search for Bridey Murphy (1956), an unusual entry – parapsychology, reincarnation – in the Wright movie canon and/or Roseland (1977), a little-remembered entry in James Ivory's canon.
- 8/4/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Teresa Wright: Later years (See preceding post: "Teresa Wright: From Marlon Brando to Matt Damon.") Teresa Wright and Robert Anderson were divorced in 1978. They would remain friends in the ensuing years.[1] Wright spent most of the last decade of her life in Connecticut, making only sporadic public appearances. In 1998, she could be seen with her grandson, film producer Jonah Smith, at New York's Yankee Stadium, where she threw the ceremonial first pitch.[2] Wright also became involved in the Greater New York chapter of the Als Association. (The Pride of the Yankees subject, Lou Gehrig, died of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in 1941.) The week she turned 82 in October 2000, Wright attended the 20th anniversary celebration of Somewhere in Time, where she posed for pictures with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. In March 2003, she was a guest at the 75th Academy Awards, in the segment showcasing Oscar-winning actors of the past. Two years later,...
- 3/15/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Teresa Wright and Matt Damon in 'The Rainmaker' Teresa Wright: From Marlon Brando to Matt Damon (See preceding post: "Teresa Wright vs. Samuel Goldwyn: Nasty Falling Out.") "I'd rather have luck than brains!" Teresa Wright was quoted as saying in the early 1950s. That's understandable, considering her post-Samuel Goldwyn choice of movie roles, some of which may have seemed promising on paper.[1] Wright was Marlon Brando's first Hollywood leading lady, but that didn't help her to bounce back following the very public spat with her former boss. After all, The Men was released before Elia Kazan's film version of A Streetcar Named Desire turned Brando into a major international star. Chances are that good film offers were scarce. After Wright's brief 1950 comeback, for the third time in less than a decade she would be gone from the big screen for more than a year.
- 3/11/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
After the marching bands and giants balloon characters parade by on TV… After all the college and NFL football games are played out… After the plates are cleaned of the last turkey drumstick and final piece of pumpkin pie… what better than to cuddle up with our loved ones and watch some good, wholesome family favorites on Thanksgiving!
In honor of the holiday and before you head out the door to catch all the Black Friday sales, check out Wamg’s list of some of our favorite family-friendly movies to watch on Thanksgiving Day.
Wizard Of Oz
For many years this 1939 masterpiece was truly event television. Before home video and cable TV, the only way to see this (outside of revival movie theatres and colleges), was once a year (usually on CBS). Families would gather around the tube for a chance to visit that magical enchanted land (just think of...
In honor of the holiday and before you head out the door to catch all the Black Friday sales, check out Wamg’s list of some of our favorite family-friendly movies to watch on Thanksgiving Day.
Wizard Of Oz
For many years this 1939 masterpiece was truly event television. Before home video and cable TV, the only way to see this (outside of revival movie theatres and colleges), was once a year (usually on CBS). Families would gather around the tube for a chance to visit that magical enchanted land (just think of...
- 11/26/2014
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
You would be forgiven for not instantly recognising the name The Incredible Mr Limpet. It comes from a novel – ‘Mr Limpet’ – written by Theodore Pratt in 1942, about a shy bookkeeper falling off a pier and turning into a fish. Unfazed, he embarks on a life assisting the Us Navy in locating Nazi U-boats during World War II. The novel was adapted into a film in 1964, with Don Knotts in the title role, Arthur Lubin as director, and the story presented in a mix of live-action and animation. Now, phenomenal filmmaker Richard Linklater is bringing Limpet back to the big screen, and it all sounds very exciting.
This re-make has been in development at Warner Bros, in various forms, for some time. An attempt at production in the 1990s had Jim Carrey in the lead role and Steve Oedekerk (Bruce Almighty) calling the shots. After apparently spending time and money on animation tests,...
This re-make has been in development at Warner Bros, in various forms, for some time. An attempt at production in the 1990s had Jim Carrey in the lead role and Steve Oedekerk (Bruce Almighty) calling the shots. After apparently spending time and money on animation tests,...
- 7/9/2014
- by Sarah Myles
- We Got This Covered
The WB has strangely been trying to get a remake of The Incredible Mr. Limpet off the ground for years, even though the vaguely-remembered comedy turns fifty this year. Starring Don Knotts, the Arthur Lubin-directed film has been up for a remake, most recently with Richard Linklater attached to direct and Zach Galifianakis starring. But there was no movement for years, suggesting the project was dead. Not so fast, said destiny. The Incredible Mr. Limpet is finally returning to screens. The Wrap claims that Jon Hamm is one of many big names circling The Incredible Mr. Limpet. Given that the project would mix animation and live-action, Hamm would star in the live-action portion of the film as the villain of the piece. While Limpet was a bookkeeper in the original film, Galifianakis would be playing him as a beach bum desperate to save the local fish population. Hamm's character...
- 7/9/2014
- cinemablend.com
Irene Dunne movies: Five-time Best Actress Academy Award nominee starred in now-forgotten originals of well-remembered remakes In his August 2007 Bright Lights article "The Elusive Pleasures of Irene Dunne," Dan Callahan explained that "the reasons for Irene Dunne’s continuing, undeserved obscurity are fairly well known. Nearly all of her best films from the thirties and forties were remade and the originals were suppressed and didn’t play on television. She did some of her most distinctive work for John Stahl at Universal, and non-horror Universal films are rarely shown now. Practically all of her movies need to be restored; even her most popular effort, The Awful Truth (1937), looks grainy and blotchy on its DVD transfer, to say nothing of things like Stahl’s When Tomorrow Comes (1939), or Rouben Mamoulian’s High, Wide, and Handsome (1937), two key Dunne films that have languished and deteriorated in a sort of television/video purgatory.
- 9/12/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
So, remember Tom Shadyac? He's the guy who was at one time a box office comedy titan, thanks to "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," "The Nutty Professor," "Liar Liar" and "Bruce Almighty." But then he decided after making millions upon millions of dollars that there was more to life and made a documentary. "I Am"was a lot of feel good, New Age-y mumbo jumbo, that found him talking with folks like David Suzuki, Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Lynne McTaggart, Ray Anderson, John Francis, Coleman Barks, and Marc Ian Barasch about like the world, man. That was a couple of years ago, and while he briefly popped up as a contender to direct a remake of Arthur Lubin's 1964 film "The Incredible Mr. Limpet" that had Zach Galifianakis attached to star, it didn't happen. But now another remake might bring him back in the ring. Deadline reports that...
- 2/28/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
We’ve watched the marching bands and giants balloon characters parade by on TV, we’ve watched college football, we’ve had our fill of turkey and all the trimmings… now, what better than to cuddle up with our loved ones and watch some good, wholesome family favorites on Thanksgiving Day? After all, we need our rest so we can rise and shine before the sun comes up on Black Friday to catch all the sales. So, in honor of the holiday and as a way to give you a jump on your holiday viewing schedule, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite family-friendly movies to watch on Thanksgiving Day.
Wizard Of Oz
For many years this 1939 masterpiece was truly event television. Before home video and cable TV, the only way to see this (outside of revival movie theatres and colleges), was once a year (usually on...
Wizard Of Oz
For many years this 1939 masterpiece was truly event television. Before home video and cable TV, the only way to see this (outside of revival movie theatres and colleges), was once a year (usually on...
- 11/22/2012
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
After watching The Invisible Man for the first time as part of the recently released Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection on Blu-ray, I moved to The Phantom of the Opera last night. Prior to watching this 1943 version directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Claude Rains as the Phantom (aka Erique Claudin), I had only seen the 1925 silent version starring Lon Chaney, which I must say was far more disturbing and effective than I found this version. Awash in Technicolor and continually stalled by operatic breaks in the narrative, as lush as the colors may look on this restored Universal Blu-ray, I wasn't nearly as taken with it as I hoped I would be. I felt Claudin's transformation from innocent, 20-year veteran violinist of the Paris Opera to wronged musical composer to outcast and murderer was poorly developed and paced. His obsession with operatic soprano Christine Dubois (Susanna Foster) was...
- 10/12/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Joey is loyal, steadfast, encouraging, high-spirited, and self-sacrificing, always putting the interests of others ahead of his own. He's a hard worker, but he loves to run and play, too, and is smart enough to take shortcuts, as long as doing so doesn't hurt anybody. He's a quiet sort, yet he'll make his opinion known when needed. In short, he's an ideal friend and a heroic character. Here's the thing: Joey is a horse. As the protagonist in Steven Spielberg's War Horse, therefore, Joey presents certain dramatic challenges. Unlike Francis, the titular talking mule in Arthur Lubin's 1950 wartime comic fantasy, Joey's thoughts can only be surmised from his actions. Fortunately for Joey, he encounters a series of humans who are sympathetic to his...
- 12/22/2011
- Screen Anarchy
Burt Lancaster on TCM: The Leopard, Scorpio, The Killers I haven't watched Michael Winner's Scorpio (1973), an unflattering portrayal of Us foreign policy and the CIA that reunited Lancaster with his The Leopard co-star Alain Delon. As per the TCM synopsis, "a CIA hit man [Lancaster] is stalked by a former partner [Delon] when the agency turns on him." A Man for All Seasons' Best Actor Oscar winner Paul Scofield and Gayle Hunnicutt are also in the cast. Robert Siodmak's 1946 film noir The Killers is one of the best-looking efforts in the genre thanks to Elwood Bredell's glistening black-and-white cinematography. Although The Killers turned newcomer Lancaster into a major star, as far as I'm concerned this adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's short story belongs to Ava Gardner; in fact, The Killers could just as easily have been called "The Leopardess (La gattaparda)." Edmond O'Brien co-stars. For The Killers, Siodmak...
- 8/26/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
While names like The Beatles and The Monkees may rule the historic roost when it comes to mop-topped pop icons, a little known group is looking to return to the public’s mind thanks to The Warner Archive.
Following the relatively recent Criterion Collection release of The Monkees’ Head, the Archive has released the rarely discussed gem of a pop picture, entitled Hold On. Starring the chart-topping pop troupe Herman’s Hermits (known for tracks like “A Must To Avoid” and the title track, “Hold On”), Hold On follows the five-some as they go on their Us tour, and must avoid the hordes of screaming women and the occasional star hunter as they wait to find out if a Nasa rocket will have their name adorned on the side of it. Secretly watched by a scientist to see if they are truly worthy of having their name on the rocket,...
Following the relatively recent Criterion Collection release of The Monkees’ Head, the Archive has released the rarely discussed gem of a pop picture, entitled Hold On. Starring the chart-topping pop troupe Herman’s Hermits (known for tracks like “A Must To Avoid” and the title track, “Hold On”), Hold On follows the five-some as they go on their Us tour, and must avoid the hordes of screaming women and the occasional star hunter as they wait to find out if a Nasa rocket will have their name adorned on the side of it. Secretly watched by a scientist to see if they are truly worthy of having their name on the rocket,...
- 6/6/2011
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
Netflix has revolutionized the home movie experience for fans of film with its instant streaming technology. Netflix Nuggets is my way of spreading the word about independent, classic and foreign films made available by Netflix for instant streaming.
This Week’s New Instant Releases…
Promised Lands (1974)
Streaming Available: 04/19/2011
Cast: Documentary
Director: Susan Sontag
Synopsis: Set in Israel during the final days of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, this powerful documentary — initially barred by Israel authorities — from writer-director Susan Sontag examines divergent perceptions of the enduring Arab-Israeli clash. Weighing in on matters related to socialism, anti-Semitism, nation sovereignty and American materialism are The Last Jew writer Yoram Kaniuk and military physicist Yuval Ne’eman.
Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen (2009)
Streaming Available: 04/19/2011
Cast: Barbara Sukowa, Heino Ferch, Hannah Herzsprung, Gerald Alexander Held, Lena Stolze, Sunnyi Melles
Synopsis: Directed by longtime star of independent German cinema Margarethe von Trotta, this reverent...
This Week’s New Instant Releases…
Promised Lands (1974)
Streaming Available: 04/19/2011
Cast: Documentary
Director: Susan Sontag
Synopsis: Set in Israel during the final days of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, this powerful documentary — initially barred by Israel authorities — from writer-director Susan Sontag examines divergent perceptions of the enduring Arab-Israeli clash. Weighing in on matters related to socialism, anti-Semitism, nation sovereignty and American materialism are The Last Jew writer Yoram Kaniuk and military physicist Yuval Ne’eman.
Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen (2009)
Streaming Available: 04/19/2011
Cast: Barbara Sukowa, Heino Ferch, Hannah Herzsprung, Gerald Alexander Held, Lena Stolze, Sunnyi Melles
Synopsis: Directed by longtime star of independent German cinema Margarethe von Trotta, this reverent...
- 4/20/2011
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
A Scanner Darkly film-maker is reportedly Warner Bros' preferred choice to remake 1960s fishy tale
Richard Linklater could find himself immersed in a very fishy business, after reportedly entering talks to direct a remake of the 1968 second world war-themed curio The Incredible Mr Limpet.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the Dazed and Confused film-maker is the frontrunner to take on the project, which like the original would be a mix of live-action and animation. Directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Don Knotts in the title role, the 60s version is the far-fetched tale of an ordinary New Yorker who falls into the sea near Coney Island and finds himself inexplicably transformed into a fish. He goes on to use his newfound form to the advantage of the Us Navy and plays an important role in the battle of the Atlantic.
A remake has been gestating in Hollywood for years,...
Richard Linklater could find himself immersed in a very fishy business, after reportedly entering talks to direct a remake of the 1968 second world war-themed curio The Incredible Mr Limpet.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the Dazed and Confused film-maker is the frontrunner to take on the project, which like the original would be a mix of live-action and animation. Directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Don Knotts in the title role, the 60s version is the far-fetched tale of an ordinary New Yorker who falls into the sea near Coney Island and finds himself inexplicably transformed into a fish. He goes on to use his newfound form to the advantage of the Us Navy and plays an important role in the battle of the Atlantic.
A remake has been gestating in Hollywood for years,...
- 3/16/2011
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
Clint Eastwood on TCM: The Bridges Of Madison Country, The First Traveling Saleslady Schedule (Pt) and synopses from the TCM website: 3:00 Am Escapade In Japan (1957) After his plane crashes in Tokyo, an American boy tries to find his way home. Cast: Cameron Mitchell, Teresa Wright, Jon Provost. Dir: Arthur Lubin. C-93 mins. 4:45 Am Paint Your Wagon (1970) Two California miners share a gold claim and a wife. Cast: Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, Jean Seberg. Dir: Joshua Logan. C-159 mins. 7:30 Am Hang ‘Em High (1968) A mysterious drifter survives a lynching then goes back for revenge. Cast: Clint Eastwood, Ed Begley, Inger Stevens. Dir: Ted Post. C-115 mins. 9:30 Am For a Few Dollars More (1965) Two bounty hunters join forces to bring an outlaw to justice. Cast: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volonte. Dir: Sergio Leone. C-132 mins. 11:45 Am Good, The Bad, And The [...]...
- 8/31/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
"Enchanted" director Kevin Lima is attached to helm Warner Bros' update of "The Incredible Mr Limpet," a story about a man who turns into a talking fish. Don Knotts starred in the studio's 1964 original, which centered on the title character, an otherwise bland sort who after his transformation becomes a World War II hero when he helps spot and thwart enemy warships for the Allies. The picture was a live-action/animated hybrid, with Arthur Lubin directing the live sections and Robert McKimson helming the animated parts. The new project, which also will be a live/animated blend, has been through several iterations, with Robin Williams and Jim Carrey among the stars for whom it previously had been developed. Mike Judge was at one point attached to direct.
- 6/12/2009
- WorstPreviews.com
Director Kevin "Enchanted" Lima will direct a Warners remake of The Incredible Mr. Limpet, based on the 1964 feature comedy starring actor Don Knotts, as 'Henry Limpet' who turns into a talking fish. The original Warners feature, directed by Arthur Lubin and Robert McKimson, was a mix of live action/animation, following Limpet as he becomes a World War II hero, helping the Allies win on the high seas...
- 6/12/2009
- HollywoodNorthReport.com
Kevin Lima will swim with the fishes.
The "Enchanted" director is attached to helm Warner Bros.' update of "The Incredible Mr. Limpet," a story about a man who turns into a talking fish.
Don Knotts starred in the studio's 1964 original, which centered on the title character, an otherwise bland sort who after his transformation becomes a World War II hero when he helps spot and thwart enemy warships for the Allies.
The picture was a live action-animated hybrid, with Arthur Lubin directing the live sections and Robert McKimson helming the animated parts.
The new project, which also will be a live-animated blend, has been through several iterations, with Robin Williams and Jim Carrey among the stars for whom it previously had been developed. Mike Judge was at one point attached to direct.
Akiva Goldsman, Bill Gerber, Paula Weinstein and James Lassiter are producing, with Chris Chase exec producing. Greg Silverman...
The "Enchanted" director is attached to helm Warner Bros.' update of "The Incredible Mr. Limpet," a story about a man who turns into a talking fish.
Don Knotts starred in the studio's 1964 original, which centered on the title character, an otherwise bland sort who after his transformation becomes a World War II hero when he helps spot and thwart enemy warships for the Allies.
The picture was a live action-animated hybrid, with Arthur Lubin directing the live sections and Robert McKimson helming the animated parts.
The new project, which also will be a live-animated blend, has been through several iterations, with Robin Williams and Jim Carrey among the stars for whom it previously had been developed. Mike Judge was at one point attached to direct.
Akiva Goldsman, Bill Gerber, Paula Weinstein and James Lassiter are producing, with Chris Chase exec producing. Greg Silverman...
- 6/11/2009
- by By Steven Zeitchik
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Enchanted director Kevin Lima is attached to direct Warner Bros.' update of The Incredible Mr. Limpet , a story about a man who turns into a talking fish, says The Hollywood Reporter . Don Knotts starred in the studio's 1964 original, which centered on the title character, an otherwise bland sort who after his transformation becomes a World War II hero when he helps spot and thwart enemy warships for the Allies. The picture was a live action-animated hybrid, with Arthur Lubin directing the live sections and Robert McKimson helming the animated parts. The new project will also be a live-animated blend.
- 6/11/2009
- Comingsoon.net
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