Author Archives: chipkaufmann

I love to discover something I know nothing about even if it doesn’t always work out. I have never heard of the Weiss Brothers or their production company Artclass Pictures before now. Disc 1 of this 2 DVD set features well known silent comedians Ben Turpin and Snub Pollard at the end of their careersContinue reading “WEISS-O-RAMA: Second Rate Material In A First Class Presentation”

Although formed back in the 1930s, Hammer Films didn’t really get things going until after World War II. Before hitting paydirt in 1954 with the science fiction saga THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT (THE CREEPING UNKNOWN in the U.S.) to be followed by the worldwide success of their color Frankenstain and Dracula films, Hammer made a seriesContinue reading “HAMMER BEFORE HORROR: Part 1”

VCI’s second set of Hammer Film Noir contains 2 more movies (8 in all) but they are not as good as Volume 1 and the last one, A RACE FOR LIFE, isn’t even a noir at all. Having said that, this set is still worthwhile as you get to see more fading American stars (DanContinue reading “HAMMER BEFORE HORROR: Part 2”

Of the several different cinematic adaptations of ROMEO & JULIET that are out there, this version has always been my personal favorite since I first saw it in the early 1970s. Not the best, mind you, hence 4 stars instead of 5. The Franco Zefferelli production has that distinction but if you’ve never seen thisContinue reading “1954 ROMEO & JULIET Is Finally Available In A Beautiful Transfer”

This 1954 British color version of SVENGALI has always gotten the short end of the stick in my opinion. A lot of that has to do with the fact that it’s always compared to the legendary 1931 version with John Barrymore but it’s like comparing apples and oranges. This version has gorgeous color photography, isContinue reading “SVENGALI (1931 / 1954): Double Feature For The Price Of One”

SILENT DISCOVERIES is a textbook example of how silent films were treated before preservation was taken seriously and how far preservation has come since the 1950s. Everything considered wrong with or bad about silent movies is on display here. First up let’s take a look at YESTERDAY AND TODAY one of the very first silentContinue reading “SILENT DISCOVERIES: A Testament To How Far Silent Film Preservation Has Come”

…or words to that effect. That’s what I said when I saw this at my local movie theatre back in 1962 under its better known title of HORROR HOTEL. I have seen it many times since then, the last being this past Halloween. I was surprised to discover that I hadn’t written a review forContinue reading “CITY OF THE DEAD/HORROR HOTEL (1960): Pretty Darn Good For 6 Coke Caps…”

To paraphrase Steven H. Scheuer, the man who published TV movie reviews before Leonard Maltin, “Make a hundred Grade B thrillers, and you’re bound to turn out one gem, and this is it”. He wasn’t referring to THE NIGHT VISITOR, but he easily could have been. This early 1970s thriller was made for a smallContinue reading “THE NIGHT VISITOR Is A Forgotten Gem”

Curtis Harrington’s RUBY is one of those B movies that has everything we love about B movies. Actors past their heyday, warmed over storyline (actually a ripoff of CARRIE and THE EXORCIST), cheap production values, limited special effects and goofs galore. It’s even set in a drive-in. One of the goofs would be so obviousContinue reading “RUBY Is The Ultimate Drive-In Movie”

THE COVERED WAGON was based on the novel of the same name by the now forgotten writer Emerson Hough and recounts the 1848 trek of a wagon train from Kansas City to Oregon. It remains a landmark film in many ways. Originally planned as just another Western programmer, it was expanded by director James CruzeContinue reading “THE COVERED WAGON (1923): Silent Western Was The TITANIC Of Its Day”