Articles by Charlie Largent

The Panther Women – The Batwoman

The Panther Women – The Batwoman Blu-ray Powerhouse Indicator 1967/1968 Starring Maura Monti, Ariadne Welter, Elizabeth Campbell Written by Alfredo Salazar Photographed by Agustín Jiménez Directed by René Cardona A garden of unearthly delights, Famous Monsters of Filmland was the Cahiers du Cinéma for middle-school monster fans. But 1964’s July issue opened up a different…

To Die For

To Die For 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Criterion 1995 Starring Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon, Joaquin Phoenix, Illeana Douglas Written by Buck Henry Photographed by Eric Alan Edwards Directed by Gus Van Sant A wide-eyed kewpie doll with the disposition of Lady Macbeth, Suzanne Stone’s only friend is the lens of a television camera—when the…

The Abbott & Costello Show – Season 2

The Abbott and Costello Show – Season 2 Blu-ray ClassicFlix 1952-54 Starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Sid Fields Written by Sid Fields Directed by Jean Yarborough Familiarity breeds contempt someone said, but in the case of Abbott and Costello, that familiarity was an essential part of their appeal. In the late fifties the boys were…

The Whip and the Body

The Whip and the Body Blu-ray Kino Lorber 1963 Starring Daliah Lavi, Christopher Lee Written by Ernesto Gastaldi, Ugo Guerra, Luciano Martino Photographed by Mario Bava, Ubaldo Terzano Directed by Mario Bava The title sequence of Blood and Black Lace may be Mario Bava’s defining moment. Staged in a shadowy fashion salon, the cast is…

Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe

Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe Blu-ray Arrow Films 1964-1977 Starring José Mojica Marins Written by José Mojica Marins Photographed by Giorgio Attili, Directed by José Mojica Marins Anthony Shelton’s book on Portuguese folk art, Heaven, Hell and Somewhere In Between, portrays the people of that historically unstable country as struggling “with good and evil…

The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming

The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming Blu-ray Kino Lorber 1966 / 2:35.1 / 126 Min. Starring Alan Arkin, Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint Written by William Rose Photographed by Joseph Biroc Directed by Norman Jewison Cape Cod can’t catch a break, before there were sharks, there were Russians. Though the Russians were considerably…

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio 4K

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Criterion 2022 / 1:85.1 Starring Ewan McGregor, Gregory Mann, and David Bradley Written by Guillermo del Toro and Patrick McHale Photographed by Frank Passingham Directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson “It’s alive!” cried the alchemist when he saw his creation move for the first…

The Prince and the Pauper

The Prince and the Pauper Blu-ray Warner Archive 1937 / 1:33.1 Starring Billy and Bobby Mauch, Errol Flynn, Claude Rains Written by Laird Doyle, Catherine Chisholm Cushing Photographed by Sol Polito Directed by William Keighley Errol Flynn is featured prominently on the poster but he doesn’t arrive till the 53 minute mark of 1937’s The…

Danza Macabra Vol. 2 – The Italian Gothic Collection

Danza Macabra Vol. 2 – The Italian Gothic Collection Blu-ray Severin Films 1963-72 / 1:33.1, 1:85.1 Starring Barbara Steele, Rosalba Neri, Adolpho Celi, Giorgio Albertazzi Written by Gianni Grimaldi, Corrado Farina, Giorgio Albertazzi Photographed by Riccardo Pallottin, Antonino Modica Directed by Antonio Margheriti, Corrado Farina, Giorgio Albertazzi The conspicuous success of Mario Bava’s Black Sunday…

The Red Balloon and Other Stories: Five Films by Albert Lamorisse

The Red Balloon and Other Stories: Five Films by Albert Lamorisse Blu-ray Criterion 1953-65 / 1:33.1, 2.35:1 Starring Pascal Lamorisse Written by Albert Lamorisse, Jacques Prévert, James Agee Photographed by Edmond Séchan, Maurice Fellous, Guy Tabary Directed by Albert Lamorisse The little heroes of Albert Lamorisse’s films are alone but not necessarily lonely, they’re just…