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It can’t be denied that as far as the old-time action heroes go, Steven Seagal doesn’t get much respect these days. A whole lot has been written about Steven Seagal’s behaviour off-screen (much of it by us), and I’m not going to rehash it all here, but suffice it to say there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of goodwill left over for the former ponytailed action hero. While many would say he’s become a parody of himself in recent years, one shouldn’t forget that, at the start of his career, Seagal was ultra-popular. His Aikido moves, plus his tall, almost lanky figure and quiet demeanour made him unique among action heroes of the day. And, if you look at his filmography, his first five movies are really good as far as action flicks of the era go. Everything else? Well, not so much,...

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga will be taking movie-goers back to the post-apocalyptic wasteland as envisioned by Mad Max franchise mastermind George Miller this weekend – but if you want to watch some more post-apocalyptic wasteland in the comfort of your own home tomorrow, May 24th, Shout! TV has you covered. They will be airing a marathon called Obscury Road, showing cult classic post-apocalyptic movies all day long!

The Obscury Road marathon will be airing on Shout! TV; as well as the Shout! TV app on Roku, Android, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV; and the following digital streaming platforms – Samsung TV Plus, Amazon Freevee, Local Now, Plex, Pluto TV, Sling TV, LG Channels, available on LG Smart TVs, Fubo, and Xumo.

Comic Crusaders provides the programming schedule, with the times in Pt:

10Am: Warlords of the 21st Century (Battletruck)

12Pm: Dune Warriors

2Pm: Wheels of Fire

4Pm: Deathsport

6Pm:...

For us 90s kids, Dick Tracy was an interesting monster of a movie. It seemed to take a lot of cues from Tim Burton’s Batman, which was released the previous summer, but it definitely had a distinct voice of its own. Dick Tracy was another classic pulp adaptation of an urban enforcer that had very dynamic visuals and an over-the-top rogues gallery. It even sported a score by Danny Elfman, which would have his signature atmospheric sound. The movie would introduce a generation of young audiences to the 1930’s film noir/ detective movie genre. Additionally, the movie brought back Warren Beatty after a three-year absence when his last film, 1987’s Ishtar, was a big flop. Having a star like Beatty in a big-budget franchise like this was an enormous asset for the re-budding intellectual property. And the star power wouldn’t even stop there.

Grab your Tommy guns. It...

To celebrate the release of Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, available to own on 4K Uhd, Steelbook, Blu-ray, DVD & Digital from 23rd October, we are giving away Blu-Rays to 2 lucky winners!

Jim Jarmusch’s 90s classic Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai, gloriously restored in 4K and making its Uhd debut, is a superbly sharp, unique thriller featuring a magnificent lead performance from Forest Whitaker (Bird) in an iconoclastic mix of hip-hop, gangster movie and martial arts, with influences from Kurosawa, Suzuki and Melville.

Forest Whitaker (Ghost Dog) lives above the world, alongside a flock of birds, in a homemade shack on the roof of an abandoned building. Guided by the words of an ancient samurai text, Ghost Dog is a professional killer able to dissolve into the night and move through the city unnoticed. When Ghost Dog’s code is dangerously betrayed by the dysfunctional mafia family that occasionally employs him,...

In the opening scene of the 1957 western The Tall T, a man on horseback is spotted from afar by a boy and his father, prompting the elder homesteader to fetch his rifle. The audience shares their uncertainty, seeing this figure through a telephoto lens from a great distance, but when the stranger gets closer to the ranch, he’s recognized by the boy as an ally.

It’s the film’s hero, Pat Brennan (Randolph Scott), a fellow rancher, and the gun is therefore set aside. The Tall T is the first in a series of westerns grouped under the name Ranown (after producer Harry Joe Brown and Scott’s production company) that director Budd Boetticher made in the late ’50s and concluded with the release of Comanche Station in 1960, and in this inaugural scene, Boetticher establishes a crucial theme and visual pattern of this spiritually unified set of potboilers.

Jim Jarmusch’s ’90s classic ‘Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai’ has had the restoration treatment in 4K and will be making its Uhd debut. To honour this news the superbly sharp, unique thriller featuring a magnificent lead performance from Forest Whitaker (Bird) in an iconoclastic mix of hip-hop, gangster movie and martial arts, with influences from Kurosawa, Suzuki and Melville gets a brand new trailer.

Forest Whitaker (Ghost Dog) lives above the world, alongside a flock of birds, in a homemade shack on the roof of an abandoned building. Guided by the words of an ancient samurai text, Ghost Dog is a professional killer able to dissolve into the night and move through the city unnoticed. When Ghost Dog’s code is dangerously betrayed by the dysfunctional mafia family that occasionally employs him, he reacts strictly in accordance with the Way of the Samurai.

Featuring moody cinematography by the great Robby Müller,...

Warner Bros – circa 1986. A bunch of powerful, suit-wearing studio execs are summoned to a studio lunch like no other. They’re set to observe an Aikido demonstration by a superstar trainer named Steven Seagal, previously known as the fight choreographer who broke Sean Connery’s wrist while training him for Never Say Never Again. By the end of the demonstration, mangled stunt men lie on the floor while a blood-stained Steven Seagal walks away with a movie deal that – unbeknownst to all – will establish him as perhaps the hottest action star of the early nineties, only for his career to collapse under the weight of his own ego eventually. But, in the early days, the sky was the limit for Seagal, and his first movie, Above the Law, is an impressive big-screen introduction to one of the most enigmatic movie stars of his time.

Above the Law stars Steven Seagal as Nico Toscani,...

Every year the “In Memoriam” tribute at the Oscars leaves off a few fan favorites and 2023 was no exception: Among those who weren’t included in Sunday night’s video montage were Anne Heche, “Saving Private Ryan” star Tom Sizemore and Charlbi Dean, who appeared in this year’s Best Picture nominee “Triangle of Sadness.”

Fans also noted the absence of Cindy Williams: While she was best known for the ’70s TV sitcom “Laverne & Shirley,” she notably appeared in two classic films of the era, George Lucas’ “American Graffiti” and Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation.”

And while the tribute included “Goodfellas” star Ray Liotta, who died unexpectedly on May 26, 2022, his costar Paul Sorvino, who died in July 2022, was left out.

Also Read:

Celebrity Deaths in 2023: Hollywood Stars We’ve Lost This Year (Photos)

Also missing from the tribute: two-time Oscar nominee Melinda Dillon of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,...

Four-time Grammy winner Lenny Kravitz will perform for Sunday’s emotional “In Memoriam” segment on the Oscars 2023 ceremony. While only 40-50 people are generally remembered for the television ceremony hosted by Jimmy Kimmel on ABC, over 200 people will be recognized on the Academy’s webpage starting that evening.

SEEWho is Performing at the Oscars 2023?: Full List of Presenters and Performers

Here is a lengthy list of many contributors to film who died since last year’s Academy Awards ceremony:

Mary Alice (actor)

Gil Alkabetz (animator)

Kirstie Alley (actor)

Burt Bacharach (composer)

Angelo Badalamenti (composer)

Simone Bär (casting director)

Joanna Barnes (actor)

Carl A. Bell (animator)

Jeff Berlin (sound)

David Birney (actor)

Bruce Bisenz (sound)

Robert Blake (actor)

Eliot Bliss (sound)

Nick Bosustow (shorts)

Albert Brenner (production designer)

Tom Bronson (costume designer)

James Caan (actor)

Michael Callan (actor)

Donn Cambern (editor)

Irene Cara (songwriter)

Gary W. Carlson (sound)

Marvin Chomsky...

Sunday’s SAG Awards ceremony will be a streaming event for the first time on the Netflix YouTube channel. One of the highlights each year is the special In Memoriam segment. It’s been a particularly rough year with over 100 deaths of prominent actors and actresses who were likely members of SAG/AFTRA. Show producers typically are able to include approximately 40-50 people in a tribute.

Among that group will certainly be Oscar winners Louise Fletcher, William Hurt and Irene Cara, plus nominees Angela Lansbury (a SAG life achievement recipient) and Melinda Dillon. Emmy champs Mary Alice, Kirstie Alley, Leslie Jordan, Ray Liotta, Stuart Margolin, Robert Morse and Barbara Walters.

SEECelebrity Deaths 2023: In Memoriam Gallery

Here is our expansive list of over 100 people who died since last year’s ceremony, several of whom will be honored on Sunday’s event:

Ralph Ahn

J. Grant Albrecht

Mary Alice

Rae Allen...

Severin Films is bringing out the big guns and starting 2023 with a bang, exclusively telling Bloody Disgusting this afternoon about the first two releases they’re bringing to the new year.

On January 31st, Severin Films unleashes two definitive action releases: Violent Streets: The Umberto Lenzi/Tomas Milian Collection includes Almost Human, Syndicate Sadists, Free Hand For A Tough Cop, The Cynic, The Rat And The Fist and Brothers Till We Die. January also brings the North American debut of the 1981 Australian action classic Attack Force Z, starring Mel Gibson, Sam Neill and John Phillip Law.

Violent Streets: The Umberto Lenzi / Tomas Milian Collection: Italian director Umberto Lenzi had recently completed a landmark string of kinky gialli with Hollywood outcast Carroll Baker. Cuban-born/Actor’s Studio-trained Tomas Milian had become one of Spaghetti Westerns’ most popular stars. But when these two notoriously mercurial talents came together for a series of...

There are times when something that’s almost human is more terrifying than an actual monster. After all, uneasiness often stems from things that come eerily close to resembling humanity. Roboticist Masahiro Mori explained why people feel this way with his 1970 essay about the “uncanny valley” effect, and ever since, society has better understood why they feel uncomfortable around things such as lifelike dolls.

The living doll shows up infrequently in the horror genre, but when it does, people take notice. They’re ultimately torn between curiosity and repulsion as these puppets gain sentience and carry out their sinister missions. Chucky and others have all skittered across the big screen, but these stories, from five different anthology series, are a reminder of how toy terror also lives on television.

The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)

Living Doll

Even on its last legs, Twilight Zone — by then, the series had already dropped the...

American stage and screen actor who oozed menace in his many roles as the bad guy, heavy or villain

The actor Henry Silva, one of the screen’s most chilling villains, who has died aged 95, once complained: “I got typecast as a heavy. There’s no reason in the world for me to be a heavy, none. People love to put handles on you. They’re not thinking about you, they’re thinking about themselves.”

Nevertheless, Silva’s dark, sepulchral looks got him cast almost invariably as a bad guy and, given Hollywood stereotyping, as evil “foreign-looking” types. Silva oozed menace on screen, like a cobra ready to strike. Generally he appeared stern and taciturn, but he was never more dangerous than when he smiled or laughed.

Louise Fletcher, the Oscar-winning actress who became iconic for her turn as the villainous Nurse Ratched in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” has died at age 88. Deadline first reported the news of her death, which was shared with the outlet by her family. She died peacefully in her sleep at her farmhouse home in Montdurausse, France, surrounded by those she loved.

Fletcher became one of the great icons of cinematic villainy as Ratched, who menaced the patients at an institution for the mentally ill in the 1975 film. After a career in TV, Fletcher’s performance as the wicked nurse, who battles with Jack Nicholson’s R.P. McMurphy, was just her fourth in a film. “Cuckoo’s Nest,” directed by Milos Forman from the Ken Kesey novel, ended up winning the five “major” Academy Awards: Best Picture, Director, Actor (Nicholson), Actress (Fletcher), and Screenplay. With her cold stare and at first sweetly condescending demeanor,...

Henry Silva, who gave memorable turns over the course of a 40+-year career as a distinct presence on the big screen, has died. He was 95.

A genuinely commanding and terrifying presence, Henry Silva’s extensive career put him in numerous roles in action flicks, thrillers and exploitation movies. An early turn in The Tall T marked him as a face to watch–and be frightened of. A series of westerns and adventurers led to him being cast as one of Danny Ocean’s 11. In a fitting close to his career, Henry Silva made a cameo in Steven Soderbergh’s remake.

Other key roles in Henry Silva’s career include those in The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Johnny Cool (1963), Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979), Sharky’s Machine (1981), and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (2000), which is easily one of his finest performances.

There, too, was the barrage of Italian crime movies that...

I have Quentin Tarantino to thank for my love of Henry Silva. Many, many moons ago, Tarantino would come to Austin and screen his personal collection of 16mm and 35mm prints of his favorite films, all to support the Austin Film Society. If it wasn't for seeing those obscure movies from the '50s, '60s, and '70s with Tarantino introducing them all, like the most excitable film professor ever, I probably wouldn't have discovered just how much of a badass Henry Silva was, most likely only recognizing him from the original "The Manchurian Candidate" or maybe as one of the villains in "Dick Tracy." 

As we recognize his contribution to the cinematic arts in the wake of his passing at the nice old age of 94, it's probably best to state up front that Silva was a ruthless presence on-screen. He just looked like a killer and that inherent...

Henry Silva, who starred in Johnny Cool, fought Frank Sinatra in The Manchurian Candidate and was one of Sinatra’s fellow thieves in Ocean’s 11, among dozens of screen roles spanning a half-century, died Wednesday of natural causes at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, CA. He was 95.

An actor whose distinctive face often led to typecasting as the heavy, his 130-plus film and TV credits also include The Bravados, starring Gregory Peck (1958); Cinderfella, with Jerry Lewis (1960); the Rat Pack-led Western Sergeants 3 (1962); Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979); Love and Bullets with Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland and Rod Steiger (1979); the Burt Reynolds pics Sharky’s Machine (1981) and Cannonball Run II (1982); Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy (1990); Steven Seagal’s first film Above the Law (1988); and Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai with Forest Whitaker (1999).

Along with the title role opposite Elizabeth Montgomery in Johnny Cool...

Henry Silva, a character actor known for playing bad guys and gangsters in movies like “The Manchurian Candidate” and “Ocean’s 11,” has died.

Silva died Wednesday of natural causes at the Motion Picture Picture and Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, his son Scott Silva confirmed to Variety. He was 95.

The stage and screen actor, whose career spanned 50 years and 140 TV and film credits, was also an honorary member of The Rat Pack. He starred alongside Frank Sinatra in both “Ocean’s 11” (1960) and “The Manchurian Candidate,” (1962) in which he played one of the 11 casino robbers in the classic caper film. Also in 1962, they both appeared in “Sergeants 3” and would go on to collaborate on the TV movie “Contract on Cherry Street” (1977) and “Cannonball Run II” (1984) with Dean Martin.

Also Read:

Henry Fuhrmann, Longtime LA Times Editor Who Championed Inclusive Writing in Journalism, Dies at 65

In the wake of the news,...

Henry Silva, an actor with a striking look who often played villains and had credits in hundreds of films including “Ocean’s Eleven” and “The Manchurian Candidate,” died of natural causes Wednesday at the Motion Picture Picture and Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, Calif., his son Scott confirmed. He was 95.

One of Silva’s most memorable roles came in John Frankenheimer’s classic thriller “The Manchurian Candidate” (1962), in which he played Chunjin, the Korean houseboy for Laurence Harvey’s Raymond Shaw — and an agent for the Communists — who engages in a thrilling, well-choreographed martial arts battle with Frank Sinatra’s Major Bennett Marco in Shaw’s New York apartment.

Silva appeared in a number of other movies with Sinatra, including the original, Rat Pack-populated “Ocean’s Eleven” (1960) with Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., where he was one of the 11 thieves, and 1962 Western “Sergeants 3.”

His death was...

Click here to read the full article.

Henry Silva, the rugged New York actor who portrayed heavies and heroes of various ethnicities in a career highlighted by turns in A Hatful of Rain, The Manchurian Candidate and Johnny Cool, has died. He was 95.

Silva died Wednesday of natural causes at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, his son Scott Silva told The Hollywood Reporter.

Silva also played the Draconian commander “Killer” Kane in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979), just one in a lineup of his bad guys seen in The Tall T (1957), The Bravados (1958), Il Boss (1973), Sharky’s Machine (1981), Above the Law (1988), Dick Tracy (1990) and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999).

“Henry Silva is one of those guys you most likely will recognize even if you don’t know his name,” onetime Crimespree magazine writer Dave Wahlman wrote in 2016. “His face is something straight...

Hello, everyone! August 23rd is a quiet day for horror and sci-fi home media releases, but that doesn’t mean that this week’s offerings aren’t pretty darn great all the same. Scream Factory has put together a killer Collector’s Edition 4K release for Neil Marshall’s Dog Soldiers and Kino Lorber has put together reissues of their Blu-ray box sets for seasons one and two of The Outer Limits, which genre fans will definitely want to pick up.

Cheers!

Dog Soldiers: 4K Collector’s Edition

A group of soldiers dispatched to the Scottish Highlands on special training maneuvers face their biggest fears after they run into Captain Ryan – the only survivor of a Special Ops team that was literally torn to pieces. Ryan refuses to disclose his mission even though whoever attacked his men might be hungry for seconds. Help arrives in the form of a...

Out of the myriad mavericks and miscreants that populate the poliziotteschi—a genre of Italian crime films that flourished locally from the late 1960s to the early 1980s and subsequently attained cult status thanks in large part to the advocacy of filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and publications like Nocturno Cinema—Luca Canali of The Italian Connection (1972) is among those most destined for immortality.Incarnated by Mario Adorf, Luca exudes unruliness the moment he appears on screen. Bedecked with greased-back hair, gaudy suits, and a thick build, Luca manifests not so much slickness (or a certain ideal thereof) as a fumbling attempt at it, a performance of wealth and prestige that feels tenuous on account of its excesses. Despite his initially jaunty demeanor, Luca projects a vague sense of social precarity, an impression enhanced by various characters verbally demeaning him as a “nobody” compared to more “respectable” figures in the community.

Burbank, CA – Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC are celebrating the 25th anniversary of Superman: The Animated Series with a fully remastered Blu-rayTM box set. Superman: The Complete Animated Series, which includes several hours of bonus features headlined by an all-new documentary detailing the creation of one of the most beloved animated Super Hero cartoons in history, will be available starting October 12, 2021.

Produced by Warner Bros. Animation (Wba), the Emmy Award-winning Superman: The Animated Series was the perfect follow-up to the landmark Batman: the Animated Series. Producers Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and Alan Burnett elevated The Man of Steel’s animated presence with an imaginative, heartfelt look at Superman’s adventures in Metropolis alongside Lois Lane and opposite the villainous likes of Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Darkseid and more. Premiering on September 6, 1996, the series continued Wba’s dominance in Super Hero animation, once again setting new standards for storytelling, art direction...

Cinema Retro has received the following press release from Kino Lorber Studio Classics:

Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none

New York, NY -- December 8, 2020 -- Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, the '80s sci-fi classic TV series and 1979 theatrical feature starring Gil Gerard, is now available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. Buck Rogers: The Complete Collection, available on Blu-ray includes both seasons of the TV series plus the 1979 Theatrical Feature. The Theatrical Feature is also available individually on Blu-ray.

The Complete Collection comes packed with bonus features including the Pilot Episode (Awakening), 32 Episodes and Theatrical Version (First Time in HD), New Audio Commentaries for 11 Selected Episodes by Film/TV Historian Patrick Jankiewicz, Author of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: A TV Companion, New Audio Commentary by Film Historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson (Theatrical Feature), New Interview with Co-Star Erin Gray, New Interview with...

You’ve asked questions. Prepare for the answers.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Sweet Smell Of Success (1957)

The Beguiled (1971)

Tenet (2021? Maybe?)

Smokey Is The Bandit (1983)

Robin Hood (2010)

Hollywood Boulevard (1976)

The Devils (1971)

Song of the South (1946)

Gremlins (1984)

Dillinger (1973)

Marcello I’m So Bored (1966)

Jeremiah Johnson (1972)

Big Wednesday (1978)

Swamp Thing (1982)

Forrest Gump (1994)

Payback (1999)

Bell, Book And Candle (1958)

Blowup (1966)

The Big Lebowski (1998)

Medium Cool (1969)

25th Hour (2002)

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Palm Springs (2020)

Groundhog Day (1993)

Mandy (2018)

The Sadist (1963)

Spider Baby (1968)

Night Tide (1960)

Stark Fear

Carnival of Souls (1962)

The Devil’s Messenger (1961)

Ms. 45 (1981)

Léolo (1992)

The Howling (1981)

Showgirls (1995)

Green Book (2018)

The Last Hurrah (1958)

The Best Man (1964)

Advise and Consent (1962)

The Candidate (1972)

The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

Seven Days In May (1964)

The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979)

The Man (1972)

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970)

Four Lions (2010)

Pump Up The Volume (1990)

Nightmare In The Sun (1965)

The Wild Angels (1966)

The Omega Man (1971)

The Nanny (1965)

Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)

Live Like A Cop, Die Like A Man...

Warner Bros.’ Batgirl has been in development for a very long time. Once a Joss Whedon project, the failure of Justice League and allegations from his ex-wife that he was a serial cheater got him kicked off the movie and put it on the back burner. But now, there are signs of life. Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson is reportedly developing a screenplay and the studio are searching for an actress to don the cape and cowl.

Furthermore, sources close to Wgtc – the same ones who said a Green Lantern show is coming to HBO Max and Han would return in Fast & Furious 9 – are telling us that Hodson’s script features Bane as the villain. And unlike many adaptations of the character, it’ll be faithful to his Latino origins.

Of course, the highest-profile take on Bane to date is Tom Hardy in The Dark Knight Rises, who...

In the new horror movie “Crawl,” a pack of enormous alligators invades a sleepy Florida town during a violent hurricane and proceeds to rip the cast apart, limb by limb. These nasty gators aren’t the first critters of their kind to terrify audiences, however. Here’s our list of ravenous reptiles, ranked in order from scariest to silliest.

1) Alligator (1980)

Two-time Oscar-nominated screenwriter John Sayles penned this gruesomely entertaining monster mash about a baby gator named Ramón who gets flushed down a toilet and mutates into a 36-foot behemoth lurking in the Chicago sewer system. When his appetite for human flesh gets the better of him, Ramón bursts through the sidewalk and chows down on a horde of terrified locals. Featuring colorful performances from cult film superstars Robert Forster and Henry Silva, plus witty direction from the ever-dependable Lewis Teague, “Alligator” is more than just the best rampaging reptile movie...

The current wave of Hong Kong nostalgia continues with “Chasing the Dragon II: Wild Wild Bunch,” an entertaining if superficial and heavily fictionalized glimpse into the final days of notorious 1990s kidnapper Cheung Tze-keung, aka “Big Spender” and renamed Logan Long here. Starring dependable veteran Tony Leung Ka-fai as the master crook and Louis Koo (Johnnie To’s “Drug War”) as an undercover cop tasked with taking him down, this old-school entry co-directed by Jason Kwan and prolific Hong Kong mainstay Wong Jing moves along briskly but never gets beneath the skin of its intriguing characters. Connected solely by its retro crime theme to the 2018 Kwan-Wong hit “Chasing the Dragon,” “Bunch” should do solid business when it opens in China and Hong Kong on June 6, and on limited North American screens on June 7.

Wong and Kwan scored an impressive $87 million theatrical gross in China for “Chasing the Dragon,” starring Donnie Yen...

Gregory Peck slips into vengeance mode full-tilt, riding down a quartet of blackhearted knaves: rapist Stephen Boyd, ambusher Albert Salmi, sneaky Lee Van Cleef and inscrutable Henry Silva. The action direction and scenery in this late ‘fifties Big Sky western are excellent; Joan Collins and Kathleen Gallant put in good performances as well.

The Bravados

Blu-ray

Twilight Time

1958 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 97 min. / Street Date September 18, 2018 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95

Starring: Gregory Peck, Joan Collins, Stephen Boyd, Albert Salmi, Henry Silva, Kathleen Gallant, Barry Coe, George Voskovec, Herbert Rudley, Lee Van Cleef, Joe DeRita, Andrew Duggan, Ken Scott, Gene Evans, Beulah Archuletta, Robert Adler.

Cinematography: Leon Shamroy

Film Editor: William Mace

Original Music: Lionel Newman

Written by Philip Yordan from a novel by Frank O’Rourke

Produced by Herbert B. Swope Jr.

Directed by Henry King

The Bravados is just the kind of western America liked in the late 1950s,...

Bid welcome to five westerns guaranteed to make one fall in love with the genre all over again. Each stars the ultra-virtuous man of the West Randolph Scott, pitted against some of the most colorful antagonists on the range: Richard Boone, Lee Van Cleef, Claude Akins. Indicator’s extras constitute the best collection of research materials ever assembled on the underrated director Budd Boetticher.

Five Tall Tales: Budd Boetticher & Randolph Scott At Columbia, 1957-1960

The Tall T, Decision at Sundown, Buchanan Rides Alone, Ride Lonesome, Comanche Station

Blu-ray

Powerhouse Indicator

Color / 1:85 and 2:35 widescreen / 380 min. / / Street Date May 28, 2018 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £42.99

Starring: Randolph Scott.

Leading Ladies: Maureen O’Sullivan, Karen Steele (2), Valerie French, Nancy Gates.

Noble Villains: Richard Boone, John Carroll, Craig Stevens, Pernell Roberts, Lee Van Cleef, Claude Akins.

Hopeful Sidekicks: James Best, James Coburn, Skip Homeier (2), Henry Silva, Noah Beery Jr., L.Q. Jones, Richard Rust.

Stars: Rosanna Arquette, Michelle Pfeiffer, Arsenio Hall, Donald F. Muhich, Monique Gabrielle, Lou Jacobi, Erica Yohn, Phil Hartman, Corey Burton, Peter Horton, Griffin Dunne, Joe Pantoliano, Steve Forrest, Forrest J. Ackerman, Sybil Danning, David Alan Grier, Steve Guttenberg, Henry Silva, Robert Picardo, Rip Taylor, Ed Begley Jr., Dick Miller, Matt Adler, Kelly Preston, Howard Hesseman, Russ Meyer, Andrew Dice Clay, Carrie Fisher, Paul Bartel | Written by Michael Barrie, Jim Mulholland | Directed by Joe Dante, Carl Gottlieb, Peter Horton, Robert K. Weiss, John Landis

One of many, many anthologies to have graced the silver screen over the years (another of which, the horror anthology Nightmares is also being released on Blu-ray by 101 Films), Amazon Women on the Moon features madcap sketches and shorts centred around the eponymous film-within-a-film, a satire of low-budget, 1950s-style sci-fi. Featuring appearances from Rosanna Arquette, Carrie Fisher, Steve Guttenberg, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sybil Danning and Ed Begley,...

The month of March is closing out with a busy week of home entertainment releases, with two of the highlights this week being Scream Factory's stunning Steelbook editions for Assault on Precinct 13 and Prince of Darkness. Scream Factory is also keeping busy with their Collector’s Edition release of Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon and their Blu-ray release of IFC Midnight's I Remember You.

David Cronenberg’s Scanners is also making its way into the Criterion Collection this week, and The City of the Dead is the recipient of another limited edition release as well. Other notable titles coming home on March 27th include The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special, The Outer Limits Season 1, Hell’s Kitty, Star Time, The Executioners, Mercy Christmas, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Assault on Precinct 13 Limited Edition Steelbook (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)

Isolated inside a soon-to-be-closed L.A. police station,...

By John M. Whalen

In MGM’s 1958 Western “The Law and Jake Wade,” Robert Taylor rides down from the Sierra Nevada mountains early one morning into a small town and busts his old partner-in-crime, Clint Hollister (Richard Widmark), out of the hoosegow. Hollister is a nasty guy. Not satisfied with escaping a hanging, to Jake’s dismay, he clubs the sheriff and shoots a couple of people out in the street while he and Jake make their getaway. Jake has to take his rifle away from him to keep from killing more people.

Back up in the mountains Clint wants to ride on with Jake but Jake says no. He busted Clint out of jail because he figured he owed him for doing the same thing for him once. Now they’re even. Clint doesn’t agree. There’s that matter of the $20,000 they stole on their last job together.

Many of MGM’s productions were scraping bottom in 1958, yet the studio found one more acceptable western vehicle for their last big star still on contract. Only-slightly corrupt marshal Robert Taylor edges toward a showdown with the thoroughly corrupt Richard Widmark in an economy item given impressive locations and the sound direction of John Sturges.

The Law and Jake Wade

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1958 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 86 min. / Street Date September 12, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99

Starring: Robert Taylor, Richard Widmark, Patricia Owens, Robert Middleton, Henry Silva, DeForest Kelley, Henry Silva, Burt Douglas, Eddie Firestone.

Cinematography: Robert Surtees

Film Editor: Ferris Webster

Written by William Bowers from a novel by Marvin H. Albert

Produced by William B. Hawks

Directed by John Sturges

As the 1950s wore down, MGM was finding it more difficult to properly use its last remaining big-ticket stars on the steady payroll, Cyd Charisse and Robert Taylor. Cyd...

Featuring: John Saxon, Franco Nero, Henry Silva, Ottaviano Dell’Acqua, Leonard Mann, Richard Harrison | Written and Directed by Mike Malloy

Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the ’70s, to give the film it’s full title, is a welcome and affectionate look at the Italian poliziotteschi films of the 1970s, films such as High Crime, Milano Calibro 9, Street Law and Napoli Violenta which, whilst heavily influenced by 70s Us cop and gangster films like Dirty Harry and The Godfather, also touched upon real Italian issues – the Sicilian Mafia and the Red Brigade – and amped up the sex and violence to often ridiculous levels.

Those film fans familiar with Italian genre cinema will know that Italian cinema has a reputation of hitching itself to the nearest bandwagon and bleeding it dry. If Italian filmmakers could find a fad that people liked they’d stick with it. From...

Truth be told, I’ve never been too big on Westerns. I don’t know why; I just don’t connect with most of them, or maybe I feel that there’s something missing. Perhaps…Satan?!? Yes, of course we’re heading back to the ‘70s where the Behooved One thrived, even on the small screen. Saddle up for Black Noon (1971), a long forgotten horror/western TV movie that laid the groundwork for some well-regarded horror films.

First airing on The New CBS Friday Night Movies on November 5th, Black Noon had no real competition from the NBC World Premiere Movie or ABC’s Love, American Style, with audiences taking to this insidiously laid back demon oater.

Let’s crack open our telegrammed copy of TV Guide and have a look see:

Black Noon (Friday, 9:30pm, CBS)

A preacher and his wife deal with mysterious forces in a small western town.

It's the classic paranoid conspiracy that won't go away... and that seems less impossible with every passing year. Laurence Harvey is a remote-controlled assassin, and Frank Sinatra seems to be under a little hypnotic influence himself... or are we just imagining it? John Frankenheimer and George Axelrod concoct a masterpiece from the novel by Richard Condon, a movie about conspiracies, that may be hiding more secrets in plain sight. The Manchurian Candidate Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 803 1962 / B&W / 1:75 widescreen / 126 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date March 15, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh, Angela Lansbury, Henry Silva, James Gregory, Leslie Parrish, John McGiver, Khigh Dhiegh Cinematography Lionel Lindon Production Designer Richard Sylbert Film Editor Ferris Webster Original Music David Amram Written by George Axelrod from the novel by Richard Condon Produced by George Axelrod, John Frankenheimer, Howard W. Koch Directed by John Frankenheimer

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson...

Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, Travis Keune, and Tom Stockman

Burt Reynolds, one of We Are Movie Geeks favorite actors, turns 80 today. Happy Birthday Burt!

On February 11th, 1936, Reynolds was born in Waycross, Georgia, before his family moved to Jupiter Florida, where his father served as Chief of Police. Young Burt excelled at sports and played football at Florida State University. He became an All Star Southern Conference halfback (and was earmarked by the Baltimore Colts) before injuries sidelined his football career. He dropped out of college and headed to New York with dreams of becoming an actor. There he worked in restaurants and clubs while pulling the odd TV job or theater role. Burt was spotted in a New York City stage production of Mister Roberts and signed to a TV contract and eventually had recurring roles in such shows as Gunsmoke (1955), Riverboat (1959) and his own series, Hawk...

In the summer of 1990, Warren Beatty’s labor-of-love, Dick Tracy, became a surprise commercial hit, earned acclaim for its visuals and technical artistry, and went on to win a number of high-profile awards. Its cast was bursting with stars and beloved character actors. So why, 25 years on, does it feel so forgotten?

Certainly, director-producer-star Beatty created a visual masterpiece and proved that “style over substance” isn’t always a bad thing. The design team was limited to the seven colors available to comic strip creator Chester Gould, and the movie reproduces that vivid look as faithfully as any live-action film could. From the spectacular flight across the twilit city that appears under the opening credits, it’s clear that Dick Tracy is something different.

Moments later, Gould’s trademark Rogues’ Gallery villains make their first appearance, brought to life by the makeup of John Caglione, Jr. and Doug Drexler, who...

In the summer of 1990, Warren Beatty’s labor-of-love, Dick Tracy, became a surprise commercial hit, earned acclaim for its visuals and technical artistry, and went on to win a number of high-profile awards. Its cast was bursting with stars and beloved character actors. So why, 25 years on, does it feel so forgotten?

Certainly, director-producer-star Beatty created a visual masterpiece and proved that “style over substance” isn’t always a bad thing. The design team was limited to the seven colors available to comic strip creator Chester Gould, and the movie reproduces that vivid look as faithfully as any live-action film could. From the spectacular flight across the twilit city that appears under the opening credits, it’s clear that Dick Tracy is something different.

Moments later, Gould’s trademark Rogues’ Gallery villains make their first appearance, brought to life by the makeup of John Caglione, Jr. and Doug Drexler, who...

Before he received acclaim as a writer/director of such films as Brother from Another Planet (’84), Matewan (’87), and The Secret of Roan Inish (’94), John Sayles made a splash on the horror scene as the writer of fun, clever satires such as Piranha (’78) and The Howling (’81). However, he did another that doesn’t get nearly as much love, and that’s his ode to an overgrown reptile, Lewis Teague’s Alligator (’80). Which is a shame, as it is just as much of a blast as the other two.

Alligator was released in July to solid reviews, and tripled its budget in returns, bringing in $6.5 million U.S. Not too bad for an independent (Group 1 International Distribution Organisation Ltd., the fine folks behind Ufo’s Are Real), and a good indicator that horror fans are always up for a smart romp. Alligator glides through that sweet swamp filled with fear and good humor.

By Lee Pfeiffer 

The good news is that Timeless Video is releasing multiple films in one DVD package. The bad news is that one of these releases, although featuring two highly-watchable leading men, presents two stinkers. Love and Bullets is a 1979 Charles Bronson starrer that Roger Ebert appropriately described at the time as "an assemblyline potboiler". The film initially showed promise. Originally titled Love and Bullets, Charlie, the movie had John Huston as its director. However, Huston left after "creative differences" about the concept of the story and its execution on screen. The absurdity of losing a director as esteemed as Huston might have been understandable if the resulting flick wasn't such a mess. However, one suspects that, whatever the conceptual vision Huston had for the movie may have been, it must have been superior to what ultimately emerged. Stuart Rosenberg, the competent director of Cool Hand Luke took over...

Henry Silva’s gaunt face and implacable demeanor made him the perfect villain for a host of films in the 50’s and 60’s but it wasn’t until "Johnny Cool" that he was awarded leading man status. William Asher ("Muscle Beach Party") directed this visceral revenge thriller and cast his then-wife, Elizabeth Montgomery, opposite Silva’s malevolent hitman. Produced by Peter Lawford and co-starring Joey Bishop and Sammy Davis, Jr., the picture occasionally plays like a rat-pack movie without the rat-pack.

Henry Silva’s gaunt face and implacable demeanor made him the perfect villain for a host of films in the 50’s and 60’s but it wasn’t until Johnny Cool that he was awarded leading man status. William Asher (Muscle Beach Party) directed this visceral revenge thriller and cast his then-wife, Elizabeth Montgomery, opposite Silva’s malevolent hitman. Produced by Peter Lawford and co-starring Joey Bishop and Sammy Davis, Jr., the picture occasionally plays like a rat-pack movie without the rat-pack.

Omar Sharif in 'Doctor Zhivago.' Egyptian star Omar Sharif, 'The Karate Kid' producer Jerry Weintraub: Brief career recaps A little late in the game – and following the longish Theodore Bikel article posted yesterday – below are brief career recaps of a couple of film veterans who died in July 2015: actor Omar Sharif and producer Jerry Weintraub. A follow-up post will offer an overview of the career of peplum (sword-and-sandal movie) actor Jacques Sernas, whose passing earlier this month has been all but ignored by the myopic English-language media. Omar Sharif: Film career beginnings in North Africa The death of Egyptian film actor Omar Sharif at age 83 following a heart attack on July 10 would have been ignored by the English-language media (especially in the U.S.) as well had Sharif remained a star within the Arabic-speaking world. After all, an "international" star is only worth remembering...

Ron Moody as Fagin in 'Oliver!' based on Charles Dickens' 'Oliver Twist.' Ron Moody as Fagin in Dickens musical 'Oliver!': Box office and critical hit (See previous post: "Ron Moody: 'Oliver!' Actor, Academy Award Nominee Dead at 91.") Although British made, Oliver! turned out to be an elephantine release along the lines of – exclamation point or no – Gypsy, Star!, Hello Dolly!, and other Hollywood mega-musicals from the mid'-50s to the early '70s.[1] But however bloated and conventional the final result, and a cast whose best-known name was that of director Carol Reed's nephew, Oliver Reed, Oliver! found countless fans.[2] The mostly British production became a huge financial and critical success in the U.S. at a time when star-studded mega-musicals had become perilous – at times downright disastrous – ventures.[3] Upon the American release of Oliver! in Dec. 1968, frequently acerbic The...

'A Hatful of Rain' with Lloyd Nolan, Anthony Franciosa and Don Murray 'A Hatful of Rain' script fails to find cinematic voice as most of the cast hams it up Based on a play by Michael V. Gazzo, A Hatful of Rain is an interesting attempt at injecting "adult" subject matters – in this case, the evils of drug addiction – into Hollywood movies. "Interesting," however, does not mean either successful or compelling. Despite real, unromantic New York City locations and Joseph MacDonald's beautifully realistic black-and-white camera work (and the pointless use of CinemaScope), this Fred Zinnemann-directed melodrama feels anachronistically stagy as a result of its artificial dialogue and the hammy theatricality of its performers – with Eva Marie Saint as the sole naturalistic exception. 'A Hatful of Rain' synopsis Somewhat revolutionary in its day (Otto Preminger's The Man with a Golden Arm,* also about drug addiction,...

Readers of all ages can experience Batman's Gotham and its surroundings in uniquely different ways this summer with collected volume editions of four new Batman-related titles—Grayson, Batgirl, Batman: Arkham Knight, and Gotham Academy—and we have details on the summer releases in our latest round-up. Also included this time around are details and a look at the cover art for three upcoming Blue Underground Blu-ray/DVD releases: 1990: The Bronx Warriors, The New Barbarians, and Escape From the Bronx.

DC Comics' Batman Collected Editions: Press Release - "Whether you’re a lifelong or novice comic reader, a teen reader or a mystery lover, DC Comics is releasing a highly diverse lineup of Collected Editions this June that revolve around the world’s most popular Super-Hero, Batman, and are perfect for your summer reading lists!

For young readers 12 and up, Gotham Academy Vol. 1 is a vibrant take...

Code of Silence

Written by Michael Butler, Dennis Shryack and Mike Gray

Directed by Andrew Davis

U.S.A., 1985

Eddie Cusack (Chuck Norris) and his crew (among them Dennis Farina, Ralph Foody and Joe Guzaldo) are undercover cops stationed just outside a rundown apartment complex in a Chicago slum, waiting for the right to storm the building for a drug bust. Unbeknownst to the detectives, a rival gang is also prepping to raid the building, and when both forces collide, the entire operation explodes into a mess for all three factions. At present, two Chicago gangs are on the cusp of war and Eddie Cusack must contend not only with that terrible situation but a cover up within the force following the unwarranted demise of a teenage boy during the muffed raid. As the film’s tagline states, Eddie Cusack is a good cop having a very bad day!

Often...

The month of March is quietly coming to a close in terms of home entertainment choices as there are only just a handful of genre-related titles making their way to Blu-ray and DVD this week. Paramount is releasing Christopher Nolan’s latest sci-fi epic, Interstellar, onto all formats, Blue Underground is bringing two separate collections of cult classics from both Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci to high definition, and Olive Films has dug up a few overlooked gems to release on March 31st as well.

Allan Quatermain & The Lost City of Gold (Olive Films, Blu-ray & DVD)

Richard Chamberlain and Sharon Stone are back for more exciting adventures in the action packed Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold. Allan (Richard Chamberlain, Shogun) and Jesse Huston (Sharon Stone, Basic Instinct) are newly engaged and preparing to leave for America where they’ll be married. Or so they think.