1963’s critics favored this ‘cerebral’ Sci-fi offering but the main draw was its mysterious heroine, a new bride who may be an invader from beyond the stars. Fave actor John Neville is the Think Tank boffin who doesn’t understand why his wife isn’t like other women … just for starters, she doesn’t have a pulse….
Director Richard Fleischer’s crime thriller passed the test with RKO’s new owner Howard Hughes, possibly because of its clever story hook: a mannequin is made of a fugitive serial killer, to better understand the killer’s motives. Otherwise its Fleischer’s creative, snappy direction that raises the picture above the category of ‘B’ filler product. Lady reporter…
George Pal’s production had a hard nut to crack, adapting a highly misanthropic adult novel to serve as a family attraction for all ages. On its own terms it works, with an engaging cast and creative visual effects. Tony Randall’s charm is a huge asset, while Arthur O’Connell and especially Barbara Eden ace their parts….
Nope, it’s not a stealth Karloff horror feature, but another of his underworld roles … actually, a semi-underworld role in a nifty ensemble thriller about a Night Club with connections to The Mob. Karloff is Happy MacDonald, and Everybody comes to ‘Happy’s Club’ — including the drunken Lew Ayres and Broadway sharpie George Raft. Showgirl…
Pairing wine with movies! See the trailers and hear the fascinating commentary for these movies and many more at Trailers From Hell. This week, your worst nightmares get wine pairings. Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker was released in 1981 the first time around. You may have caught it in re-release, retitled as Night Warning. William Asher…
James Garner takes a spin as the world-weary detective Philip Marlowe — “unassailably virtuous, invariably broke.” An updating of Raymond Chandler’s The Little Sister takes Marlowe to 1969 Hollywood, but the story remains the same: blackmail, gangsters and ice pick murders. Gayle Hunnicutt and Sharon Farrell are the Quest sisters, Bruce Lee a kung-fu hoodlum…
Douglas Fairbanks’ miracle film of the silent era is back in a new restoration from Photoplay Productions, with a bounty of extras; we can marvel that this 102 year-old masterpiece is in such good condition. The physical production was mounted on a massive scale, right in the middle of Hollywood: enormous sets, fantastic designs and…
Brian DePalma’s wild skit + provocation comedy cemented his status as a capable, meaningful filmmaker just before he turned to a commercial career dedicated to the screen effects of Alfred Hitchcock. This new release brings this early Robert De Niro tale, which now resembles an alternate-universe prequel to Taxi Driver, to disc in a new…
VCI showcases a pair of independently produced films noir, one a decent programmer and the other one of the best of its kind. Borderline puts Fred MacMurray and Claire Trevor in the middle of drug smugglers led by (who else?) crooked Raymond Burr; D.O.A. drops Edmond O’Brien into a nightmare, when he finds he’s been…
