Category Archives: Uncategorized

No major American director has had a lower percentage of his films available on DVD than John Huston. Part of the reason is that Huston made a number of his films for smaller, newer companies that appeared after the collapse of the old studio system in the late 1960s. These companies quickly went bust leavingContinue reading “THE KREMLIN LETTER: A Complex Spy Thriller That Is Available At Last”

THE NIGHT OF THE FOLLOWING DAY is one of those films that has been criminally underseen and that needs to be seen (instead of talked about) in order to be appreciated. If anyone other than Marlon Brando had been in it (which was the original plan) it would have fared much better critically and commercially.Continue reading “NIGHT OF THE FOLLOWING DAY: An Offbeat Film Noir With Memorable Performances That Deserves A Wider Audience”

Panned and patronized at the time of it’s initial release, Elia Kazan’s adaptation of his best selling book THE ARRANGEMENT plays much better now than it did in 1969. Made after a 6 year hiatus from filmmaking at a time when movies were enjoying unheard of freedom due to the demise of the production code,Continue reading “THE ARRANGEMENT: Elia Kazan’s Comeback Movie”

Although released in 1940, DR CYCLOPS was filmed in 1939, the benchmark year of so many great Hollywood classics. It was not the first film to feature a mad doctor shrinking people. That was Tod Browning’s 1936 fantasy-melodrama THE DEVIL DOLL. It WAS the first Hollywood movie to attempt fantasy special effects in Technicolor andContinue reading “DR. CYCLOPS: A Sci-Fi Classic That Still Entertains After 80 Years”

If you have never seen Georges Franju’s 1963 remake of Louis Feuillade’s 1917 serial JUDEX then you owe it to yourself to catch this remarkable film. Franju (1912-1987) is best remembered for his poetic, much copied horror film EYES WITHOUT A FACE (1959) but he made a number of other movies including this as wellContinue reading “JUDEX (1963): Edward Gorey’s Favorite Movie”

As a long time fan of silent films I was familiar with JUDEX from a number of reference books and from the 1963 remake by Georges Franju which is not without interest and should also be revived. Therefore it was an unexpected pleasure to discover that Flicker Alley (the people who gave us GARDEN OFContinue reading “JUDEX (1916):The Origins Of BATMAN?”

If you’re like me and have any interest whatsoever in the history of the movies, then this collection is an absolute must for a number of reasons. 1) it dispels the notion that 3-D began back in the early 1950s (it was actually in 1915!). 2) it offers a remarkable array of different offerings withContinue reading “3-D Not Necessary To Enjoy 3-D RARITIES”

I was looking forward to 3-D Rarities 2 as I have long been a fan of old school 3-D and I was very impressed by the first set which Flicker Alley released back in 2015 (see my Amazon review of that title). However I have a number of issues with this set the biggest beingContinue reading “3-D RARITIES 2 Almost Ruined by Annoying Commentary”

THE BEAST MUST DIE (not to be confused with the 1974 Amicus horror film of the same name) is a 1952 Film Noir and is one of two new releases from Flicker Alley and the Film Noir Foundation that showcase two “lost” movies from 1950s Argentina. The film is based on a once celebrated novelContinue reading “THE BEAST MUST DIE: Argentinian Noir – Part 1”

THE BITTER STEMS is a 1956 Argentine Film Noir and is one of two new releases from Flicker Alley and the Film Noir Foundation that showcase two “lost” movies from 1950s Argentina. It was based on a best selling Argentine novel and is on AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER’s list of the 100 Best Photographed Films of allContinue reading “THE BITTER STEMS: Argentinian Noir – Part 2”