Yesterday, all their troubles seemed so far away.
In 2022, Peter Rosza and Conor Woulfe sued Universal Pictures after they rented the 2019 movie “Yesterday” on Amazon Prime Video and subsequently felt they had been bamboozled by the trailer. The film, directed by Danny Boyle and written by Richard Curtis, is a zany musical fantasy in which Himesh Patel, a struggling musician, is bonked on the head and wakes up in a world in which The Beatles Never Happened. As such, he starts playing their songs as if they are his own and the movie follows the expected Preston Sturges-like tropes you might expect.
The trailer for the movie featured quite a few glimpses of the alluring Cuban-born actress Ana de Armas, later Oscar-nominated for her leading turn in “Blonde,” who ended up not being in the movie at all. An early cut included her character, but that storyline was shaved down after the movie tested poorly.
In 2022, Peter Rosza and Conor Woulfe sued Universal Pictures after they rented the 2019 movie “Yesterday” on Amazon Prime Video and subsequently felt they had been bamboozled by the trailer. The film, directed by Danny Boyle and written by Richard Curtis, is a zany musical fantasy in which Himesh Patel, a struggling musician, is bonked on the head and wakes up in a world in which The Beatles Never Happened. As such, he starts playing their songs as if they are his own and the movie follows the expected Preston Sturges-like tropes you might expect.
The trailer for the movie featured quite a few glimpses of the alluring Cuban-born actress Ana de Armas, later Oscar-nominated for her leading turn in “Blonde,” who ended up not being in the movie at all. An early cut included her character, but that storyline was shaved down after the movie tested poorly.
- 4/17/2024
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
Following the recent votes by VFX workers at Walt Disney Pictures and Marvel to unionize with IATSE, a call for collective bargaining received enthusiastic applause during an intimate Visual Effects Society Honors ceremony and reception Friday at Los Angeles’ Skirball Cultural Center.
Referencing the SAG-AFTRA strike and recently ended WGA strike, honoree Bob Coleman, a veteran VFX artist agent and exec, said “a lot of damage has been done, but progress has been made for those two guilds. But the artists in this room and artists all around the world have not fared so well without collective bargaining. And without collective bargaining, there will be no progress for them.” He added, “I believe this is one of the greatest inequities in our industry, and I hope this inequity can be righted.”
Each October, the organization holds a gathering to recognize leaders in its close-knit community. This year, Tim McGovern,...
Referencing the SAG-AFTRA strike and recently ended WGA strike, honoree Bob Coleman, a veteran VFX artist agent and exec, said “a lot of damage has been done, but progress has been made for those two guilds. But the artists in this room and artists all around the world have not fared so well without collective bargaining. And without collective bargaining, there will be no progress for them.” He added, “I believe this is one of the greatest inequities in our industry, and I hope this inequity can be righted.”
Each October, the organization holds a gathering to recognize leaders in its close-knit community. This year, Tim McGovern,...
- 10/14/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
One of the great unsung traditions of horror is a character’s external environment reflecting their internal state. It has found its way into films as diverse as Repulsion (1965), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994), and Relic (2020) to name just a few. Edgar Allan Poe was hardly the first to use the device, it had been a feature of the Gothic romances popular in the decades before him, but Poe moved it from character-deepening subtext to overt metaphor in his short story “The Fall of the House of Usher.”
Roger Corman’s 1960 film adaptation of the story latches onto and expands this and several of Poe’s obsessions into what has become a classic of slow-burning terror. The Fall of the House of Usher is the first in what has come to be called the Corman Poe Cycle. These eight films produced between 1960 and 1964 are among the most stylish,...
Roger Corman’s 1960 film adaptation of the story latches onto and expands this and several of Poe’s obsessions into what has become a classic of slow-burning terror. The Fall of the House of Usher is the first in what has come to be called the Corman Poe Cycle. These eight films produced between 1960 and 1964 are among the most stylish,...
- 10/11/2023
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro” will close out AFI Fest on Oct. 29.
The film which screened at the Venice Film Festival to a 7-minute standing ovation follows the life of legendary stage composer Leonard Bernstein and his relationship with Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan).
“’Mastro’ displays Bradley Cooper’s symphony of talent with the power of a cymbal crash,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. “It is AFI’s honor to shine a light upon this extraordinary work of art on the festival’s Closing Night.”
Aside from directing and starring in the film, Cooper co-wrote the script with Josh Singer. The supporting cast includes Matt Bomer (as Bernstein’s lover), Maya Hawke (as Bernstein’s daughter Jamie) and Sarah Silverman (as Bernstein’s sister Shirley).
Kaitlyn Dever Comes Face to Face With an Alien Invader in ‘No One Will Save You’ Trailer
Kaitlyn Dever is battling an alien invader in...
The film which screened at the Venice Film Festival to a 7-minute standing ovation follows the life of legendary stage composer Leonard Bernstein and his relationship with Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan).
“’Mastro’ displays Bradley Cooper’s symphony of talent with the power of a cymbal crash,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. “It is AFI’s honor to shine a light upon this extraordinary work of art on the festival’s Closing Night.”
Aside from directing and starring in the film, Cooper co-wrote the script with Josh Singer. The supporting cast includes Matt Bomer (as Bernstein’s lover), Maya Hawke (as Bernstein’s daughter Jamie) and Sarah Silverman (as Bernstein’s sister Shirley).
Kaitlyn Dever Comes Face to Face With an Alien Invader in ‘No One Will Save You’ Trailer
Kaitlyn Dever is battling an alien invader in...
- 9/6/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay, Jaden Thompson and McKinley Franklin
- Variety Film + TV
Austrian actor Helmut Berger, the groundbreaking star of European cinematic masterpieces such as Luchino Visconti’s “The Damned” and Vittorio De Sica’s “Garden of the Finzi-Continis,” has died at the age of 78. Berger died at home in Austria from natural causes.
In one of European cinema’s most storied and creative periods, the 60s and 70s, Berger boldly established his place in the pantheon of Continental stars via a handful of films directed by Visconti, his one-time romantic partner. “The Damned,” “Ludwig” and “Conversation Piece” were all crafted with standout roles for Berger and the films were hugely successful both at the arthouse box office and with critics and awards groups.
“The Damned”
Berger was nominated for a Golden Globe for “The Damned,” which was also nominated for a Best Screenplay Oscar in 1970. No less an authority than the late German filmmaking maestro Rainer Werner Fassbinder called it “perhaps the greatest film,...
In one of European cinema’s most storied and creative periods, the 60s and 70s, Berger boldly established his place in the pantheon of Continental stars via a handful of films directed by Visconti, his one-time romantic partner. “The Damned,” “Ludwig” and “Conversation Piece” were all crafted with standout roles for Berger and the films were hugely successful both at the arthouse box office and with critics and awards groups.
“The Damned”
Berger was nominated for a Golden Globe for “The Damned,” which was also nominated for a Best Screenplay Oscar in 1970. No less an authority than the late German filmmaking maestro Rainer Werner Fassbinder called it “perhaps the greatest film,...
- 5/19/2023
- by Steven Gaydos
- Variety Film + TV
"Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey" might be getting panned by critics, but you've got to respect filmmaker Rhys Frake-Waterfield's hustle. When A.A. Milne's copyright on the gentle resident of Hundred Acre Wood lapsed in 2022, the British writer-director immediately got to work on his low-budget, slasher-flick profaning of the author's lovable characters. It's classic exploitation grifting to which the schlock-producing likes of Roger Corman, William Castle, and Samuel Arkoff would certainly tip their cap. The goal is to get out of the gate first and fast. You don't want to be the second guy to portray Pooh and Piglet as remorseless murderers.
Now that his film is out in the world and making loads of disreputable noise, Frake-Waterfield wants gorehounds to know that this is just the beginning. Not only is he currently working on other blood-thirsty takes on beloved children's classics (e.g. "Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare...
Now that his film is out in the world and making loads of disreputable noise, Frake-Waterfield wants gorehounds to know that this is just the beginning. Not only is he currently working on other blood-thirsty takes on beloved children's classics (e.g. "Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare...
- 2/17/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Arrow swings into 2023 with a disc of a horror thriller ‘with issues’ — but appointing it with intriguing extras. Sandra Dee gets her perky nose all tangled up in an inter-dimensional conspiracy run by sneaky occultist Dean Stockwell — and we know that it’s all going to lead to a sacrificial altar. Roger Corman designer Daniel Haller directed this cross between a Poe picture and a psychedelic epic, for good old American-International.
The Dunwich Horror
Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1970 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 97 min. / Street Date January 10, 2023 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Sandra Dee, Dean Stockwell, Ed Begley, Lloyd Bochner, Sam Jaffe, Joanne Moore Jordan, Donna Baccala, Talia Shire, Barboura Morris, Beach Dickerson.
Cinematography: Richard C. Glouner
Art Director: Paul Sylos
Film Editor: Christopher Holmes
Original Music: Les Baxter
Written by Curtis Lee Hanson, Henry Rosenbaum, Ronald Silkowsky from the story by H.P. Lovecraft
Executive producer Roger Corman
Produced by James H. Nicholson,...
The Dunwich Horror
Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1970 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 97 min. / Street Date January 10, 2023 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Sandra Dee, Dean Stockwell, Ed Begley, Lloyd Bochner, Sam Jaffe, Joanne Moore Jordan, Donna Baccala, Talia Shire, Barboura Morris, Beach Dickerson.
Cinematography: Richard C. Glouner
Art Director: Paul Sylos
Film Editor: Christopher Holmes
Original Music: Les Baxter
Written by Curtis Lee Hanson, Henry Rosenbaum, Ronald Silkowsky from the story by H.P. Lovecraft
Executive producer Roger Corman
Produced by James H. Nicholson,...
- 1/3/2023
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Mickey Zide, an exhibition and distribution specialist who later went into producing films including “Dirty Mary Crazy Larry,’ died Nov. 10 in La Quinta, Calif. of natural causes. He was 90.
Born in Detroit, Zide was the third generation of his family to work in the film business, and got his start working as a salesman for Columbia Pictures in Detroit. His father Jack and brother Martin owned Allied Film Exchange, the largest independent distributor in Midwest, which released films for companies including Aip, Crown and Atlantic Releasing.
He became VP of sales for Sam Arkoff’s American International Pictures, where he booked films such as “Foxy Brown,” “Last House on the Left” and “The Pit and the Pendulum.”
After Aip producer James H. Nicholson left to form Academy Pictures, Zide joined him and served as associate producer on the Peter Fonda-Susan George starrer “Dirty Mary Crazy Larry.” Distributed by 20th Century Fox,...
Born in Detroit, Zide was the third generation of his family to work in the film business, and got his start working as a salesman for Columbia Pictures in Detroit. His father Jack and brother Martin owned Allied Film Exchange, the largest independent distributor in Midwest, which released films for companies including Aip, Crown and Atlantic Releasing.
He became VP of sales for Sam Arkoff’s American International Pictures, where he booked films such as “Foxy Brown,” “Last House on the Left” and “The Pit and the Pendulum.”
After Aip producer James H. Nicholson left to form Academy Pictures, Zide joined him and served as associate producer on the Peter Fonda-Susan George starrer “Dirty Mary Crazy Larry.” Distributed by 20th Century Fox,...
- 11/18/2022
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Last week Warner Bros. announced that it was shelving the upcoming HBOMax release Batgirl along with an almost finished sequel to their animated film Scoob. All of this, while announcing massive layoffs in various departments across the board and the cancelation of various projects in early development. Kevin Smith even mentioned that a DC Project he had been working on was shut down on the latest episode of Hollywood Babble-On alongside co-host Ralph Garman.
The surprising part of this is the shelving of almost finished projects. The Batgirl film has already cost them 90 Million and was done enough to do some test screenings. Weirdly this is not the first time completed movies have been put up on the shelf, never to see the light of day. We’ve rounded up ten shelved movies from well-known creators or star well know actors.
Conversations With Vincent – dir. Tim Burton
I don’t...
The surprising part of this is the shelving of almost finished projects. The Batgirl film has already cost them 90 Million and was done enough to do some test screenings. Weirdly this is not the first time completed movies have been put up on the shelf, never to see the light of day. We’ve rounded up ten shelved movies from well-known creators or star well know actors.
Conversations With Vincent – dir. Tim Burton
I don’t...
- 8/14/2022
- by Bryan Wolford
- JoBlo.com
Part of a perfect 1956 matinee double bill, Alex Gordon’s supernatural thriller features an iconic monster, a piece of real horror art from monster-maker Paul Blaisdell. The production can best be described as ‘pedestrian’ but there’s no denying that the movie is an odd nostalgic favorite — a great poster helps. The cast mixes veterans with new blood — but the real reason to watch is starlet Marla English. This one should have been a classic.
The She-Creature
Blu-ray
1956 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 77 min. / Street Date June 28, 2022
Starring: Chester Morris, Marla English, Tom Conway, Cathy Downs, Lance Fuller, Ron Randell, Frieda Inescort, Frank Jenks, El Brendel, Paul Dubov, William Hudson, Paul Blaisdell.
Cinematography: Frederick E. West
Production Designer: Art Director: Don Ament
Creature costume: Paul Blaisdell
Film Editor: Ronald Sinclair
Original Music: Ronald Stein
Written by Lou Rusoff
Produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff, Alex Gordon
Directed by Edward L. Cahn
Nicholson...
The She-Creature
Blu-ray
1956 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 77 min. / Street Date June 28, 2022
Starring: Chester Morris, Marla English, Tom Conway, Cathy Downs, Lance Fuller, Ron Randell, Frieda Inescort, Frank Jenks, El Brendel, Paul Dubov, William Hudson, Paul Blaisdell.
Cinematography: Frederick E. West
Production Designer: Art Director: Don Ament
Creature costume: Paul Blaisdell
Film Editor: Ronald Sinclair
Original Music: Ronald Stein
Written by Lou Rusoff
Produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff, Alex Gordon
Directed by Edward L. Cahn
Nicholson...
- 7/9/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The very second Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" started breaking box office records for Universal Studios during the summer of 1975, hit-hungry rival studios and opportunistic producers scrambled into action. With that much money pouring in, they knew Universal would be prepping a sequel; they also knew an official follow-up was a good two or three years away. In the meantime, audiences would be ravenous for more tales of unusually giant beasts stalking helpless human beings, and they were in a prime position to feed that appetite. Thus, the era of the "Jaws" knock-off was upon us.
For schlockmeisters like Roger Corman and Samuel Z. Arkoff, quality and originality took a...
The post The Best Jaws Knock-Offs, Ranked appeared first on /Film.
For schlockmeisters like Roger Corman and Samuel Z. Arkoff, quality and originality took a...
The post The Best Jaws Knock-Offs, Ranked appeared first on /Film.
- 6/16/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Last year for Indie Horror Month, I had the pleasure of diving into the history of the cult classic studio New World Pictures. It was such a blast peeking behind the curtain of low-budget genre production in the ’70s and ’80s that I figured it would be fun to go back in time a little further and explore American International Pictures, a studio that set the standard in the mid-20th century for churning out cheap, profitable, and often truly memorable films across a variety of genres.
Founded as American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff, the duo quickly changed the name when their first choice, Aip, became available. With principal producers Roger Corman (who would later go on to cofound the aforementioned New World Pictures) and Alex Gordon, Aip completely changed the framework for how to produce low-budget movies.
First, they monetized Peter Pan Syndrome...
Founded as American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff, the duo quickly changed the name when their first choice, Aip, became available. With principal producers Roger Corman (who would later go on to cofound the aforementioned New World Pictures) and Alex Gordon, Aip completely changed the framework for how to produce low-budget movies.
First, they monetized Peter Pan Syndrome...
- 4/19/2022
- by Bryan Christopher
- DailyDead
Producer-director Ivan Reitman, whose wildly successful comedies of the ‘70s and ‘80s included the blockbuster spookfest “Ghostbusters,” died in his sleep on Feb. 12 in Montecito, Calif., his family confirmed to the Associated Press. He was 75. The cause of death was not released.
“Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father, and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life,” his children, director Jason Reitman, Catherine Reitman and Caroline Reitman said via a joint statement. “We take comfort that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless others around the world. While we mourn privately, we hope those who knew him through his films will remember him always.”
Born in Czechoslovakia and raised in Canada (where he first met such young comics as his later stars Dan Aykroyd and Rick Moranis), Reitman made his first major impression as the producer of “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978), the madcap,...
“Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father, and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life,” his children, director Jason Reitman, Catherine Reitman and Caroline Reitman said via a joint statement. “We take comfort that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless others around the world. While we mourn privately, we hope those who knew him through his films will remember him always.”
Born in Czechoslovakia and raised in Canada (where he first met such young comics as his later stars Dan Aykroyd and Rick Moranis), Reitman made his first major impression as the producer of “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978), the madcap,...
- 2/14/2022
- by Chris Morris
- Variety Film + TV
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
By Hank Reineke
The tales of adventure, fantasy and science-fiction penned by the great French novelist Jules Verne have served as filmmaking source material since the silent era. In the 1950s and early 60s such films as Disney’s 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (1954), U.A.’s Around the World in 80 Days (1956), Fox’s Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959), and Columbia’s Mysterious Island (1961) had studio cash boxes ringing. Verne’s charming mix of adventurous whimsy and exciting scenarios were big moneymakers. They would all capitalize, in part, by the fact these were “family” films that promised a couple of hours of cross-generational entertainment.
So it was not surprising when James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff of American-International Pictures thought it might be time to get into the game. “You can get an indication of public taste by observing the...
By Hank Reineke
The tales of adventure, fantasy and science-fiction penned by the great French novelist Jules Verne have served as filmmaking source material since the silent era. In the 1950s and early 60s such films as Disney’s 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (1954), U.A.’s Around the World in 80 Days (1956), Fox’s Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959), and Columbia’s Mysterious Island (1961) had studio cash boxes ringing. Verne’s charming mix of adventurous whimsy and exciting scenarios were big moneymakers. They would all capitalize, in part, by the fact these were “family” films that promised a couple of hours of cross-generational entertainment.
So it was not surprising when James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff of American-International Pictures thought it might be time to get into the game. “You can get an indication of public taste by observing the...
- 12/13/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
"Life's A Beach"
By Lee Pfeiffer
When it comes to defining cinematic guilty pleasures, one need not look any further than the lame-brained beach movies that were marketed to teenagers in the mid-1960s. The formula started in 1963 with "Beach Party", teaming Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon for the first time as loved-starved teens who are addicted to fun and sun in the surf. The film was such a hit that it spawned numerous sequels, delighting producers Samuel Z. Arkoff and James H. Nicholson and American International, which was mining gold by making big profits from low-budget productions. The beach series didn't vary much in terms of content and many of the most popular actors were utilized in each successive film. There were also simlarly-themed films starring Avalon in different geographical settings. But if the beach series burned brightly, its flame was short-lived. By 1965, the young audiences that initially craved...
By Lee Pfeiffer
When it comes to defining cinematic guilty pleasures, one need not look any further than the lame-brained beach movies that were marketed to teenagers in the mid-1960s. The formula started in 1963 with "Beach Party", teaming Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon for the first time as loved-starved teens who are addicted to fun and sun in the surf. The film was such a hit that it spawned numerous sequels, delighting producers Samuel Z. Arkoff and James H. Nicholson and American International, which was mining gold by making big profits from low-budget productions. The beach series didn't vary much in terms of content and many of the most popular actors were utilized in each successive film. There were also simlarly-themed films starring Avalon in different geographical settings. But if the beach series burned brightly, its flame was short-lived. By 1965, the young audiences that initially craved...
- 11/6/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
It’s low-rent Noir A Go-Go: Angela Lansbury is a double-crossing femme fatale in this independent cheapie with modest charms. You can’t trust anyone these days, especially real estate developers with plans to collect Your life insurance. Lansbury is the seductive ‘motivator’ with a preference for late-night rendezvous in the high mountains, where everything is a long drop, nudge nudge wink wink. She makes with the hotcha come-ons but rugged Keith Andes is the one who goes around topless for an entire reel. One of the most obscure ’50s films noir, this one gives us a peek at an evocative Hollywood location or two.
A Life at Stake
Blu-ray
The Film Detective
1955 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 76 min. / Street Date September 7, 2021 / 24.95
Starring: Angela Lansbury, Keith Andes, Douglass Dumbrille, Claudia Barrett, Jane Darwell, Gavin Gordon, Charles Maxwell, William Henry.
Cinematography: Ted Allan
Set Designer: Robert Haver
Film Editor: Frank Sullivan
Original...
A Life at Stake
Blu-ray
The Film Detective
1955 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 76 min. / Street Date September 7, 2021 / 24.95
Starring: Angela Lansbury, Keith Andes, Douglass Dumbrille, Claudia Barrett, Jane Darwell, Gavin Gordon, Charles Maxwell, William Henry.
Cinematography: Ted Allan
Set Designer: Robert Haver
Film Editor: Frank Sullivan
Original...
- 9/4/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Prior to the advent of the so-called “eco-vengeance” genre, Italian cinema used animals, or at least the symbolism they naturally encapsulate, in the most disparate contexts, from those coherent with their nature to more unusual and weird derivations. With regard to the singular use of animals in Italian cinema, a reference is certainly owed to Dario Argento’s first films—L’uccello dalle piume di cristallo, Il gatto a nove code, and Quattro mosche di velluto grigio—which were followed by huge commercial success that encapsulated what Argento had learnt from Alfred Hitchcock and the Nouvelle Vague, as well as from the literary heritage of Raymond Chandler, where animals appeared in the titles embodying the characters’ gestures, modus operandi, and personalities—the animal as a metaphor representing the diabolical “human” nature. Although the presence of animals in the titles is often justified, of course, by some narrative solution or gimmick,...
- 8/19/2021
- by Eugenio Ercolani
- DailyDead
During the 2020 lockdowns and ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, people at home sought isolated comfort. News reports continued to count the number of dead while people in charge downplayed its seriousness or offered dubious advice on dealing with the disease. It certainly didn’t interrupt many golf games. As workers were furloughed from jobs, they binged. One of the movies at the top of the playlist was The Masque of the Red Death, Roger Corman’s 1964 low budget masterpiece.
It told the tale of a wealthy medieval prince in a country decimated by an epidemic. The satanic overlord, played by the legendary actor and horror icon Vincent Price, locks his gates to his god-fearing dominions while he and his friends party like it’s 1999.
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death” is about 2,300 words. Corman’s adaptation, which has been fully restored and can now be seen in its lush,...
It told the tale of a wealthy medieval prince in a country decimated by an epidemic. The satanic overlord, played by the legendary actor and horror icon Vincent Price, locks his gates to his god-fearing dominions while he and his friends party like it’s 1999.
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death” is about 2,300 words. Corman’s adaptation, which has been fully restored and can now be seen in its lush,...
- 1/26/2021
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Co-founded in the 1950s by Samuel Z. Arkoff, American International Pictures used a simple acronym, the Arkoff formula, to help guarantee the success of the independent production company’s films: Action, Revolution, Killing, Oratory, Fantasy, and Fornication.
While, as Vanity Fair put it, the youth-oriented company during its 26-year run was known for churning out “disposable B movies you could make out to,” some of those same kitschy, low-budget, teen-focused films went on to change the course of American cinema: launching the careers of Roger Corman and protege Martin Scorsese, birthing franchises like “The Fast and the Furious” and “Max Max” and inspiring the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez.
Now, 40 years after releasing its last movie, Aip is back: MGM announced Wednesday that it is reviving the label. Its first acquisition is Tate Taylor’s “Breaking News in Yuba County,” which will be released by MGM’s United...
While, as Vanity Fair put it, the youth-oriented company during its 26-year run was known for churning out “disposable B movies you could make out to,” some of those same kitschy, low-budget, teen-focused films went on to change the course of American cinema: launching the careers of Roger Corman and protege Martin Scorsese, birthing franchises like “The Fast and the Furious” and “Max Max” and inspiring the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez.
Now, 40 years after releasing its last movie, Aip is back: MGM announced Wednesday that it is reviving the label. Its first acquisition is Tate Taylor’s “Breaking News in Yuba County,” which will be released by MGM’s United...
- 10/8/2020
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
By Jeremy Carr
The success of Larry Cohen’s 1973 Blaxploitation classic, Black Caesar, was so immediately evident that producer Samuel Z. Arkoff, then head of American International Pictures, put the sequel wheels in motion almost instantly. The follow-up, Hell Up in Harlem, was released just 10 months later, still in 1973. Such a hasty turnaround certainly makes its mark on the completed picture, with a frenetic tempo, chaotic storyline, and haphazard construction that all seems to mirror its own pace of production. Yet even in the face of this slapdash development, the film itself is thoroughly entertaining, if not quite living up to its predecessor.
Reprising his role as Tommy Gibbs, the shrewd criminal entrepreneur who worked his way up through the underworld ranks in Black Caesar, Fred Williamson starts off the sequel in dire straits. As seen in the earlier film, Tommy had proudly flaunted an aggressive charm, with a sly...
The success of Larry Cohen’s 1973 Blaxploitation classic, Black Caesar, was so immediately evident that producer Samuel Z. Arkoff, then head of American International Pictures, put the sequel wheels in motion almost instantly. The follow-up, Hell Up in Harlem, was released just 10 months later, still in 1973. Such a hasty turnaround certainly makes its mark on the completed picture, with a frenetic tempo, chaotic storyline, and haphazard construction that all seems to mirror its own pace of production. Yet even in the face of this slapdash development, the film itself is thoroughly entertaining, if not quite living up to its predecessor.
Reprising his role as Tommy Gibbs, the shrewd criminal entrepreneur who worked his way up through the underworld ranks in Black Caesar, Fred Williamson starts off the sequel in dire straits. As seen in the earlier film, Tommy had proudly flaunted an aggressive charm, with a sly...
- 3/16/2019
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Artisans introduces a new series — Where Are They Now? — focusing on living legends of the below-the-line world. Written by James C. Udel, a member of Iatse’s Local 80 Grips since 1993 and author of “The Film Crew of Hollywood,” these stories will profile retired or semiretired artisans whose work has left an enduring impact on the history of the movies.
Stuntman Gene LeBell might not have been around since Hollywood’s first fist fight, but his skill has transformed the genre.
Born in Los Angeles in 1932, LeBell was shipped off to a military school at age 6 by his full-time working mom after his father died in a surfing accident. The diminutive kid was bullied, finally responding by choking the offending cadet — a move he applied to Steven Seagal 52 years later while filming “Hard to Kill.”
After his mom remarried, LeBell was raised near L.A.’s old Olympic Auditorium. The athletic...
Stuntman Gene LeBell might not have been around since Hollywood’s first fist fight, but his skill has transformed the genre.
Born in Los Angeles in 1932, LeBell was shipped off to a military school at age 6 by his full-time working mom after his father died in a surfing accident. The diminutive kid was bullied, finally responding by choking the offending cadet — a move he applied to Steven Seagal 52 years later while filming “Hard to Kill.”
After his mom remarried, LeBell was raised near L.A.’s old Olympic Auditorium. The athletic...
- 8/3/2018
- by James C. Udel
- Variety Film + TV
Larry Cohen: Party of One. That’s the way I see him, anyway; he’s always made the films he’s wanted, the way he’s wanted – with varying results, sure, but at the end of the day they are nothing less than Larry Cohen Films: unique, challenging, quirky, funny, and almost always a blast to watch. Which brings us to Q: The Winged Serpent (1982), his tribute to the Aip monster movies of days gone by, overshadowed by his patented blend of offbeat characters and intriguing dialogue. The flying lizard? Merely a delightful distraction.
Released by United Film Distribution Company (and co-produced by legendary Aip honcho Samuel Z. Arkoff) in late October, Q returned only a quarter of its $1.2 million budget, but reviews were fairly kind, with most critics singling out not the movie itself, per se, but a wonderful turn by Michael Moriarty (A Return to Salem’s...
Released by United Film Distribution Company (and co-produced by legendary Aip honcho Samuel Z. Arkoff) in late October, Q returned only a quarter of its $1.2 million budget, but reviews were fairly kind, with most critics singling out not the movie itself, per se, but a wonderful turn by Michael Moriarty (A Return to Salem’s...
- 10/21/2017
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
A late period entry in director Bert I. Gordon’s (Mr. B.I.G.) lifelong fascination with really big things. Here he tackles giant ants (who in turn tackle people) in a very loose adaptation of the H. G. Wells novel. Produced by the venerable Sam Arkoff for A.I.P., the movie stars Joan Collins and Robert Lansing, both in dire need of a plus-size can of Raid.
- 10/2/2017
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Schlock should never be a dirty word in the world of cinema. Some of my favorite films are utterly devoid of taste and frequently, refinement. The majority of drive-in treasures lie somewhere between perspiration and inspiration, covered in flop sweat and trying desperately to entertain. This is often where you’ll find the films distributed by American International Pictures, and always where you’ll see director Bert I. Gordon’s oeuvre. Empire of the Ants (1977) is no exception.
Released by Aip in July and bringing in $2.5 million, Empire was the follow up to Gordon and producer Samuel Z. Arkoff’s success from the previous year, The Food of the Gods, another “loose” H.G. Wells adaptation, and was an even bigger hit (in B.I.G. terms, anyway—everything’s relative, folks). Naturally dismissed by critics, Empire continues the winning Gordon formula of B stars and groovy, goofy, rear projection grisliness.
Released by Aip in July and bringing in $2.5 million, Empire was the follow up to Gordon and producer Samuel Z. Arkoff’s success from the previous year, The Food of the Gods, another “loose” H.G. Wells adaptation, and was an even bigger hit (in B.I.G. terms, anyway—everything’s relative, folks). Naturally dismissed by critics, Empire continues the winning Gordon formula of B stars and groovy, goofy, rear projection grisliness.
- 8/26/2017
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Hey, Ib Melchoir’s Opus Mars-us is back, in a not-bad new scan and color-grading job. If the nostalgia bug has bitten you deep enough to appreciate a fairly maladroit but frequently arresting space exploration melodrama, this may be the disc for you. Let’s be honest: Nobody can resist the allure of the fabulous Bat-Rat-Spider-Crab, and in glorious Cinemagic, no less.
The Angry Red Planet
Blu-ray
Scream Factory
1960 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 83 min. / Street Date June 27, 2017 / 17.28
Starring: Gerald Mohr, Nora Hayden, Les Tremayne, Jack Kruschen.
Cinematography: Stanley Cortez
Film Editor: Ivan J. Hoffman
Original Music: Paul Dunlap
Written by Ib Melchior from a story by Sid Pink
Produced by Norman Maurer & Sid Pink
Directed by Ib Melchior
Unjust though it may be, not all Savant reviews make the national news feed, but my old 2001 coverage of the pretty miserable MGM DVD of The Angry Red Planet got quoted all over the place,...
The Angry Red Planet
Blu-ray
Scream Factory
1960 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 83 min. / Street Date June 27, 2017 / 17.28
Starring: Gerald Mohr, Nora Hayden, Les Tremayne, Jack Kruschen.
Cinematography: Stanley Cortez
Film Editor: Ivan J. Hoffman
Original Music: Paul Dunlap
Written by Ib Melchior from a story by Sid Pink
Produced by Norman Maurer & Sid Pink
Directed by Ib Melchior
Unjust though it may be, not all Savant reviews make the national news feed, but my old 2001 coverage of the pretty miserable MGM DVD of The Angry Red Planet got quoted all over the place,...
- 7/15/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
A few years ago, in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the death of influential film critic Pauline Kael, I wrote the following:
“I think (Kael) did a lot to expose the truth… that directors, writers and actors who often work awfully close to the surface may still have subterranean levels of achievement or purpose or commentary that they themselves may be least qualified to articulate. It’s what’s behind her disdain for Antonioni’s pontificating at the Cannes film festival; it’s what behind the high percentage of uselessness of proliferating DVD commentaries in which we get to hear every dull anecdote, redundant explication of plot development and any other inanity that strikes the director of the latest Jennifer Aniston rom-com to blurt out breathlessly; and it is what’s behind a director like Eli Roth, who tailors the subtext of something like Hostel Part II almost as...
“I think (Kael) did a lot to expose the truth… that directors, writers and actors who often work awfully close to the surface may still have subterranean levels of achievement or purpose or commentary that they themselves may be least qualified to articulate. It’s what’s behind her disdain for Antonioni’s pontificating at the Cannes film festival; it’s what behind the high percentage of uselessness of proliferating DVD commentaries in which we get to hear every dull anecdote, redundant explication of plot development and any other inanity that strikes the director of the latest Jennifer Aniston rom-com to blurt out breathlessly; and it is what’s behind a director like Eli Roth, who tailors the subtext of something like Hostel Part II almost as...
- 4/2/2017
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
Gas-s-s-s – Or – It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It.
Blu-ray
Olive Films
1970 / Color / 1:85 widescreen/ 79 min. / Street Date October 18, 2016 / Gas-s-s-s / available through the Olive Films website / 29.98
Starring: Elaine Giftos, Robert Corff, Cindy Williams, Bud Cort, Ben Vereen, Tally Coppola, Lou Procopio.
Cinematography: Ron Dexter
Film Editor: George Van Noy
Original Music: Country Joe and the Fish
Written and Produced by George Armitage
Directed by Roger Corman
Roger Corman finally accepted himself as an iconic filmmaker for this, his final show for A.I.P.. Barely released and long considered a failure, Gas-s-s-s – Or – It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It sees Corman and his writer associate George Armitage attempting a Mad magazine- like amalgam of all the counterculture trends of the late 1960s. That tactical mistake becomes eighty minutes of unfocused and unfunny satire. Armitage’s script and dialogue might occasionally hit some serendipitous notes,...
Blu-ray
Olive Films
1970 / Color / 1:85 widescreen/ 79 min. / Street Date October 18, 2016 / Gas-s-s-s / available through the Olive Films website / 29.98
Starring: Elaine Giftos, Robert Corff, Cindy Williams, Bud Cort, Ben Vereen, Tally Coppola, Lou Procopio.
Cinematography: Ron Dexter
Film Editor: George Van Noy
Original Music: Country Joe and the Fish
Written and Produced by George Armitage
Directed by Roger Corman
Roger Corman finally accepted himself as an iconic filmmaker for this, his final show for A.I.P.. Barely released and long considered a failure, Gas-s-s-s – Or – It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It sees Corman and his writer associate George Armitage attempting a Mad magazine- like amalgam of all the counterculture trends of the late 1960s. That tactical mistake becomes eighty minutes of unfocused and unfunny satire. Armitage’s script and dialogue might occasionally hit some serendipitous notes,...
- 1/17/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Curtis Hanson--Confidentially
By
Alex Simon
Curtis Hanson was my first interview with a fellow film buff and film journalist. He was nice enough to sit down with me twice, first at the Rose Cafe in Venice, then at a lunch spot in the Marina, the name of which has been lost to time. He was then kind enough to invite me to the world premiere of "L.A. Confidential" at the Chinese Theater as his guest, my first time on the red carpet at a real-life Hollywood premiere, and called me after this piece ran to thank me personally. A nice man. Hanson, and co-writer Brian Helgeland, would go on to win Best Adapted Screenplay Oscars for "L.A. Confidential."
Years later, I ran into Hanson at a book signing party for Pat York that was held in Westwood. I approached him and reminded him of our interview a decade or so earlier.
By
Alex Simon
Curtis Hanson was my first interview with a fellow film buff and film journalist. He was nice enough to sit down with me twice, first at the Rose Cafe in Venice, then at a lunch spot in the Marina, the name of which has been lost to time. He was then kind enough to invite me to the world premiere of "L.A. Confidential" at the Chinese Theater as his guest, my first time on the red carpet at a real-life Hollywood premiere, and called me after this piece ran to thank me personally. A nice man. Hanson, and co-writer Brian Helgeland, would go on to win Best Adapted Screenplay Oscars for "L.A. Confidential."
Years later, I ran into Hanson at a book signing party for Pat York that was held in Westwood. I approached him and reminded him of our interview a decade or so earlier.
- 9/21/2016
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
This four-feature set is the weirdest cinematic treasure box of the year, a sort of anti-matter film school. Three of the films are derived from a single Yugoslavian picture rejected by Roger Corman. His acolytes Jack Hill and Stephanie Rothman proceeded to add serial killings, supernatural hauntings, a goofy vampire, and an ending that could be called 'Zombies In The Wax Museum.' Tim Lucas tells the whole story in a fascinating feature-length extra docu. Blood Bath Blu-ray Arrow Video (USA) 1963 - 1966 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen / 95 - 81 - 62 - 75 min. / 2-Disc Limited Edition / Street Date May 30, 2016 / 49.95 Starring William Campbell, Patrick Magee, Rade Marcovic, Miha Baloh, Irena Prosen; Marissa Mathes, Linda Saunders, Sandra Knight, Carl Schanzer, Biff Elliot, Sid Haig, Jonathan Haze. Cinematography Nenad Jovicic, Dan Telford, Alfred Taylor. Original Music Bojan Adamic, Ronald Stein, Written by Vlasta Radovanovic, Vic Webber, Jack Hill & Stephanie Rothman Directed by Rados Novakovic, Michael Roy,...
- 5/24/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Hey, we're having a Nuclear family crisis, so load up your shotgun, grab the grenades and head for the hills, stealing what you need as you go. Ray Milland's tense tale of doomsday survival shook up a lot of folks with its endorsement of ruthless violence. Fortunately the worst never happened, allowing us to ask, "Where were you in '62?" Panic in Year Zero! Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1962 / B&W / 2:35 widescreen / 92 min. / Street Date April 19, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Ray Milland, Jean Hagen, Frankie Avalon, Mary Mitchel, Joan Freeman, Richard Bakalyan, Cinematography Gilbert Warrenton Production Designer Daniel Haller Film Editor William Austin Original Music Les Baxter Written by John Morton, Jay Simms Produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff, Arnold Houghland, James H. Nicholson, Lou Rusoff Directed by Ray Milland
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
There's nothing like good old atom-scare hysteria, which Hollywood dished out as early as 1952's Invasion,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
There's nothing like good old atom-scare hysteria, which Hollywood dished out as early as 1952's Invasion,...
- 4/5/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
What horrors will we find on the planet Yoo-rah-nuss? A cyclopean dinosaur? Nasty spider monsters? A megalomaniac cerebellum that can turn our X-rated sex fantasies into flesh and blood people? Let's go! Sid Pink's flashy and slightly idiotic adventure stars space cadet John Agar as an average guy willing to have sex with a phantom from his own imagination. Say, doesn't Woody Allen make dirty jokes about that? Journey to the Seventh Planet Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1962 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 77 min. / Street Date April 5, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring John Agar, Carl Ottosen, Ann Smyrner, Greta Thyssen, Peter Monch, Ove Sprogoe, Louis Miehe-Renard, Ulla Moritz, Mimi Heinrich, Annie Birgit Garde. Cinematography Aage Wiltrup Visual Effects Krogh, Wah Chang, Jim Danforth, Ronny Scheemmel. Art Director Otto Lund Editor Tove Palsbo Original Music Jerry Capeheart, Ib Glindemann, Mitchell Tableporte Written by Ib Melchior & Sid Pink Produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff & Sid Pink...
- 4/2/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Look out! Here come two A.I.P. horror pix from the soggy end of the Poe cycle: the first features Jason Robards, an impressive cast and a disorganized storyline. The second is an almost-good Lovecraft horror with interesting performances from Dean Stockwell and Sandra Dee. Murders in the Rue Morgue and The Dunwich Horror Blu-ray Color Scream Factory Street Date March 29, 2016 / 26.99
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Scream Factory's new double feature disc finishes off two different American-International horror series. The first picture is the last fright film made for the company by the directing and writing team of Gordon Hessler and Christopher Wicking. It's no gem, but it's a lot more interesting on a second viewing. The second is the company's final try to make that old joker H.P. Lovecraft into a filmic horror icon, like Edgar Allan Poe. It has a lot going for it, but also its own set of problems.
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Scream Factory's new double feature disc finishes off two different American-International horror series. The first picture is the last fright film made for the company by the directing and writing team of Gordon Hessler and Christopher Wicking. It's no gem, but it's a lot more interesting on a second viewing. The second is the company's final try to make that old joker H.P. Lovecraft into a filmic horror icon, like Edgar Allan Poe. It has a lot going for it, but also its own set of problems.
- 3/8/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
On February 16th, Scream Factory will release their third home media celebration of a cinematic legend with The Vincent Price Collection III, and we've been provided with three copies of the four-disc Blu-ray set to give away.
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Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) Blu-ray copy of The Vincent Price Collection III.
How to Enter: For a chance to win, email contest@dailydead.com with the subject "The Vincent Price Collection III Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01am Est on February 19th. This contest is only open to those who are eighteen years of age or older that live in the United States. Only one entry per household will be accepted.
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Previous Press Release: On February 16, 2016, collectors, classic film aficionados and horror enthusiasts will relish the 4-Disc Blu-ray™ release of Scream Factory’s The Vincent Price Collection III.
------------
Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) Blu-ray copy of The Vincent Price Collection III.
How to Enter: For a chance to win, email contest@dailydead.com with the subject "The Vincent Price Collection III Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01am Est on February 19th. This contest is only open to those who are eighteen years of age or older that live in the United States. Only one entry per household will be accepted.
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Previous Press Release: On February 16, 2016, collectors, classic film aficionados and horror enthusiasts will relish the 4-Disc Blu-ray™ release of Scream Factory’s The Vincent Price Collection III.
- 2/13/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
On February 16th, Scream Factory will release their third celebration of a cinematic legend with The Vincent Price Collection III on Blu-ray. Ahead of the collection's release, we have high-definition clips and trailers from the four-disc tribute.
Previous Press Release: On February 16, 2016, collectors, classic film aficionados and horror enthusiasts will relish the 4-Disc Blu-ray™ release of Scream Factory’s The Vincent Price Collection III. This extraordinary collector’s set is an essential collection for every movie library and brings together Five Vincent Price masterpiece classics, featuring the first-ever Blu-ray movie presentation of Master Of The World (1961), Tower Of London (1962), Diary Of A Madman (1963), An Evening Of Edgar Allan Poe (1970) and Cry Of The Banshee (1970). Packed with a bevy of chilling bonus content including new interview with producer/director Roger Corman and writer/producer/director Kenneth Johnson, new audio commentary with actor David Frankham, film historians, original theatrical trailers, archival materials,...
Previous Press Release: On February 16, 2016, collectors, classic film aficionados and horror enthusiasts will relish the 4-Disc Blu-ray™ release of Scream Factory’s The Vincent Price Collection III. This extraordinary collector’s set is an essential collection for every movie library and brings together Five Vincent Price masterpiece classics, featuring the first-ever Blu-ray movie presentation of Master Of The World (1961), Tower Of London (1962), Diary Of A Madman (1963), An Evening Of Edgar Allan Poe (1970) and Cry Of The Banshee (1970). Packed with a bevy of chilling bonus content including new interview with producer/director Roger Corman and writer/producer/director Kenneth Johnson, new audio commentary with actor David Frankham, film historians, original theatrical trailers, archival materials,...
- 2/12/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Vincent Price fans have seen Scream Factory distribute two collections honoring the horror legend, and now they're about to witness a third. On February 16th, Scream Factory will release The Vincent Price Collection III, a four-disc tribute to Price containing five of his films and an abundance of bonus features:
Press Release: On February 16, 2016, collectors, classic film aficionados and horror enthusiasts will relish the 4-Disc Blu-ray™ release of Scream Factory’s The Vincent Price Collection III. This extraordinary collector’s set is an essential collection for every movie library and brings together Five Vincent Price masterpiece classics, featuring the first-ever Blu-ray movie presentation of Master Of The World (1961), Tower Of London (1962), Diary Of A Madman (1963), An Evening Of Edgar Allan Poe (1970) and Cry Of The Banshee (1970). Packed with a bevy of chilling bonus content including new interview with producer/director Roger Corman and writer/producer/director Kenneth Johnson, new audio commentary with actor David Frankham,...
Press Release: On February 16, 2016, collectors, classic film aficionados and horror enthusiasts will relish the 4-Disc Blu-ray™ release of Scream Factory’s The Vincent Price Collection III. This extraordinary collector’s set is an essential collection for every movie library and brings together Five Vincent Price masterpiece classics, featuring the first-ever Blu-ray movie presentation of Master Of The World (1961), Tower Of London (1962), Diary Of A Madman (1963), An Evening Of Edgar Allan Poe (1970) and Cry Of The Banshee (1970). Packed with a bevy of chilling bonus content including new interview with producer/director Roger Corman and writer/producer/director Kenneth Johnson, new audio commentary with actor David Frankham,...
- 1/8/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Australia's leading directors have voiced their support for Screen Australia's plan to address the gender imbalance in Australian film.
Screen Australia is investing $5 million over three years to address the gender imbalance in the Australian film industry.
The screen funding body recently unveiled a five point plan which includes an immediate $3 million allocation of .jump start. funding to get female-led projects production-ready within two years, and a further $2 million of support for placements, distribution incentives, marketing and industry networking.
This also includes a goal to have production funding targeted at teams that are at least 50 per cent female by the end of 2018..
The plan follows the Australian Directors Guild's commitment to have women fill 50 per cent of the attachments and for 75 per cent of the attachemnts to reflect both gender and cultural diversity..
Australian Director's Guild president, Sam Lang, said she was pleased to see that Screen Australia had taken...
Screen Australia is investing $5 million over three years to address the gender imbalance in the Australian film industry.
The screen funding body recently unveiled a five point plan which includes an immediate $3 million allocation of .jump start. funding to get female-led projects production-ready within two years, and a further $2 million of support for placements, distribution incentives, marketing and industry networking.
This also includes a goal to have production funding targeted at teams that are at least 50 per cent female by the end of 2018..
The plan follows the Australian Directors Guild's commitment to have women fill 50 per cent of the attachments and for 75 per cent of the attachemnts to reflect both gender and cultural diversity..
Australian Director's Guild president, Sam Lang, said she was pleased to see that Screen Australia had taken...
- 12/11/2015
- by Brian Karlovsky
- IF.com.au
Curtis Harrington took an assignment nobody else would and fashioned a gem of low-budget Sci-Fi. A Russian space epic provides expensive-looking special effects scenes for a new horror show about a deadly alien rescued from a crash landing on Mars. The extras include excellent interviews with Roger Corman and effects specialist / historian Robert Skotak.
Queen of Blood Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1966 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 80 min. / Street Date December 1, 2015 / 29.95 Starring John Saxon, Basil Rathbone, Florence Marly, Judi Meredith, Dennis Hopper, Robert Boon, Don Eitner, Forrest J Ackerman. Cinematography Vilis Lapenieks Film Editor Leo Shreve Original Music Ronald Stein Written by Curtis Harrington from the Soviet film Mechte navstrechu Produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff, George Edwards Directed by Curtis Harrington
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
A.I.P. released some tacky movies in its day but none were less respected than those cobbled together from foreign imports spiked with new filmed-in-Hollywood storylines.
Queen of Blood Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1966 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 80 min. / Street Date December 1, 2015 / 29.95 Starring John Saxon, Basil Rathbone, Florence Marly, Judi Meredith, Dennis Hopper, Robert Boon, Don Eitner, Forrest J Ackerman. Cinematography Vilis Lapenieks Film Editor Leo Shreve Original Music Ronald Stein Written by Curtis Harrington from the Soviet film Mechte navstrechu Produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff, George Edwards Directed by Curtis Harrington
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
A.I.P. released some tacky movies in its day but none were less respected than those cobbled together from foreign imports spiked with new filmed-in-Hollywood storylines.
- 11/28/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
By Lee Pfeiffer
Founded by producers James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff, American International Pictures (A.I.P.) hit upon a formula of financing and releasing low-budget exploitation films for non-discriminating audiences (translation: the youth market). Specializing in horror films and goofy comedies, A.I.P. occasionally strayed into other genres. In 1963, the company capitalized on the always-popular WWII genre with the release of "Operation Bikini". Ostensibly, the movie's title referred to the obscure atoll in the Pacific where atomic bomb tests were conducted during the Cold War era. However, in true A.I.P. style, the advertising campaign was designed to imply that the title might also refer to the fact that the bikini bathing suit was popularized here by a French designer who conducted a photo shoot on the atoll just days after an atomic blast. Still, the sexploitation angle in "Operation Bikini" was saved for late in the film.
Founded by producers James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff, American International Pictures (A.I.P.) hit upon a formula of financing and releasing low-budget exploitation films for non-discriminating audiences (translation: the youth market). Specializing in horror films and goofy comedies, A.I.P. occasionally strayed into other genres. In 1963, the company capitalized on the always-popular WWII genre with the release of "Operation Bikini". Ostensibly, the movie's title referred to the obscure atoll in the Pacific where atomic bomb tests were conducted during the Cold War era. However, in true A.I.P. style, the advertising campaign was designed to imply that the title might also refer to the fact that the bikini bathing suit was popularized here by a French designer who conducted a photo shoot on the atoll just days after an atomic blast. Still, the sexploitation angle in "Operation Bikini" was saved for late in the film.
- 4/29/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Larry Cohen hasn’t directed a film since 1996 (Original Gangstas), but he’s stayed busy as a writer with thrillers like Phone Booth, Best Seller and Cellular. It’s a bit of a shame as the man’s directorial touch is usually a guarantee that a movie is going to be a fun ride — think It’s Alive, The Stuff, The Ambulance — and one of his best is 1982’s flying monster movie, Q the Winged Serpent. Scream Factory released the film to Blu-ray in 2013 complete with a new commentary track from Cohen, and we decided it was time to give it a spin. It was a smart decision as the track is a fun, informative and occasionally surprising listen. Keep reading to see what I heard on the commentary track for Q the Winged Serpent. Q the Winged Serpent (1982) Commentator: Larry Cohen (writer/director) 1. They had an early preview of the film prior to distribution, and...
- 3/30/2015
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Roger Corman fans are familiar with at least a few of them, movie memorabilia collectors have hung posters of them on their walls for decades, and some first saw them at double bill matinees on Saturdays or summer nights at the drive-in. If you have fond memories of watching the pulpy onscreen offerings of American International Pictures from the bucket seat of a Buick or the comfortable cushions of your own couch, then you might be pleased to know that ten of the company’s titles have been acquired by Cinedigm and will be remade as individual films linked together by one massive story arc.
Girls in Prison, Viking Women and The Sea Serpent, The Brain Eaters, The She-Creature, Teenage Caveman, Reform School Girl, The Undead, War of the Colossal Beast, The Cool and The Crazy, and Day the World Ended will all be reimagined, with filming slated to start...
Girls in Prison, Viking Women and The Sea Serpent, The Brain Eaters, The She-Creature, Teenage Caveman, Reform School Girl, The Undead, War of the Colossal Beast, The Cool and The Crazy, and Day the World Ended will all be reimagined, with filming slated to start...
- 1/22/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
The first Vincent Price collection from Scream Factory was a pure treasure. When October rolls around, almost nothing puts me in the Halloween mood like a constant stream of Vincent Price films on my TV. Never did I think that Scream could improve upon their original price collection, but when the films that would be included in this new set were announced, I was shocked. The first Vincent Price Collection has some really solid Price films, mostly of a Poe nature, and it was one of the most exciting releases of the year for fans of classic horror. The second set, drops the Poe theme(mostly), and includes some of Price’s most famous, well-regarded films, including a couple of my favorites. The list of films is impressive, and there are extras on most of the films. The packaging is consistent, and equally pleasing to the eyes. Scream Factory’s...
- 10/21/2014
- by Shawn Savage
- The Liberal Dead
The first Vincent Price collection that was released by Scream Factory is a thing of beauty. It was announced recently that they would bringing us a second collection of Vincent Price films on Blu-ray, and I couldn’t be any more excited about it than I already am. Well, maybe I can be, because Scream Factory just released the full details of the set, and it’s going to be a good one. Check out the press release below, and please click here to pre-order your own copy of this collection, which streets on October 21. Man, October is really upon us, isn’t it?
The Vincent Price Collection II
Featuring The First-ever Blu-ray™ Presentation Of
The House On Haunted Hill (1959), The Return Of The Fly (1959),
The Comedy Of Terrors (1963), The Raven (1963),
The Last Man On Earth (1964), The Tomb Of Ligeia (1964),
And Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972)
In Stores Everywhere On October...
The Vincent Price Collection II
Featuring The First-ever Blu-ray™ Presentation Of
The House On Haunted Hill (1959), The Return Of The Fly (1959),
The Comedy Of Terrors (1963), The Raven (1963),
The Last Man On Earth (1964), The Tomb Of Ligeia (1964),
And Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972)
In Stores Everywhere On October...
- 8/15/2014
- by Shawn Savage
- The Liberal Dead
1976 saw the publication of John Brosnan’s excellent book The Horror People. Written during the summer of 1975, it makes interesting reading 40 years down the line. Those who feature prominently in the book – Peter Cushing, Vincent Price, Jack Arnold, Michael Carreras, Sam Arkoff, Roy Ward Baker, Freddie Francis, Robert Bloch, Richard Matheson and Milton Subotsky – were still alive, as were Ralph Bates, Mario Bava, Jimmy Carreras, John Carradine, Dan Curtis, John Gilling, Robert Fuest, Michael Gough, Val Guest, Ray Milland, Robert Quarry and Michael Ripper, all of whom were given a mention. Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Junior, Michael Reeves and James H Nicholson were not long dead. Hammer, Amicus and American International Pictures were still in existence. George A Romero had yet to achieve his prominence and Stephen King wasn’t even heard of!
Brosnan devoted a chapter to a new British company called Tyburn Films. Founded by the charismatic and ambitious Kevin Francis,...
Brosnan devoted a chapter to a new British company called Tyburn Films. Founded by the charismatic and ambitious Kevin Francis,...
- 7/4/2014
- Shadowlocked
As the undisputed king of American gothic, Vincent Price holds a unique position regarding his association with British horror. From the mid sixties, nearly all his films were made in the UK, and while not as distinguished as The House of Usher (1960), Tales of Terror (1962) and The Raven (1963), they are not without interest. As an actor perfectly suited to English gothic, Price’s output includes two career-defining performances. In a nutshell, he had the best of both worlds.
Masque of the Red Death (1964)
The British phase of his career began with a bang. After directing all of Price’s Poe chillers for American International Pictures, Roger Corman wanted to give the formula a fresh approach by making his next film in England. Aip’s Samuel Z Arkoff and James H Nicholson had already produced several European films, so the next step was to establish a London base with Louis M Heyward in charge.
Masque of the Red Death (1964)
The British phase of his career began with a bang. After directing all of Price’s Poe chillers for American International Pictures, Roger Corman wanted to give the formula a fresh approach by making his next film in England. Aip’s Samuel Z Arkoff and James H Nicholson had already produced several European films, so the next step was to establish a London base with Louis M Heyward in charge.
- 4/11/2014
- Shadowlocked
Monster Mash! concludes at Trailers from Hell, with filmmaker Darren Bousman introducing "The Dunwich Horror," directed in 1970 by Roger Corman's wizardly production designer, Daniel Heller.Scored by Les Baxter and produced by Corman, Sam Arkoff and James Nicholson, The Dunwich Horror is an A.I.P. film through and through. Based on H.P. Lovecraft’s 1928 story and cowritten by Curtis Hanson, the film was to have starred Boris Karloff (featured in Haller’s previous Lovecraft adaptation, Die, Monster, Die) but Karloff passed away before the production’s start. Peter Fonda and Diane Varsi, originally cast as the conjurer Wilbur Whateley and his victim, each bowed out to be replaced by Dean Stockwell and Sandra Dee. The final film role of Ed Begley.
- 2/7/2014
- by Trailers From Hell
- Thompson on Hollywood
His star burned briefly but bright. Christopher Jones was a counterculture cult hero in the James Dean mold, starring in Wild In The Streets (1968) as Max Frost, the 22-year old rock star millionaire president of the United States who locks up everyone over 30. The same year he played Paxton Quigley in Three In The Attic, a hit about free love in the swinging sixties costarring Yvette Mimieux and Judy Pace. The big studios took notice and David Lean cast him as the romantic lead in the big-budget drama Ryan’S Daughter (1970). It was on the set of this epic that Jones reportedly suffered a nervous breakdown. His part had to be dubbed and he suddenly dropped out of show biz after only a handful of credits. Quentin Tarantino approached him in 1996 and offered him the role of Zed in Pulp Fiction, but Jones turned him down (Zed would be played...
- 2/1/2014
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Christopher Jones, an heir apparent to James Dean who starred in such films as The Looking Glass War and Ryan’s Daughter before quitting show business at the height of his brief but dazzling career, has died. He was 72. Jones, who also toplined the Samuel Z. Arkoff cult classic Wild in the Streets (1968) and played the title character in the ABC series The Legend of Jesse James, died Friday at Los Alamitos (Calif.) Medical Center of complications from cancer, Paule McKenna told The Hollywood Reporter. McKenna had four children with Jones. Photos: 35 of 2014's Most Anticipated Movies
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- 2/1/2014
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The death of Richard Matheson on 22 June 2013 marked the end of an amazing career as a novelist and screenwriter. His most enduring legacy will always be as the author of I Am Legend, arguably one of the finest vampire novels ever written. Considered ‘the very peak of paranoid science fiction,’ Matheson’s groundbreaking debut novel is one of the few contemporary vampire stories that came close to the literary excellence of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
With plans of a sequel to the Will Smith misfire I Am Legend (2007) being seriously considered by filmmakers, there is only one thing that fans of Matheson’s outstanding post apocalyptic work are asking “when is there going to be a Proper film version of the book?”
Published in 1954, I Am Legend tells the terrifying tale of Robert Neville, the sole survivor of a mysterious airborne virus that has turned everyone, including his wife Virginia and best friend Ben Cortman,...
With plans of a sequel to the Will Smith misfire I Am Legend (2007) being seriously considered by filmmakers, there is only one thing that fans of Matheson’s outstanding post apocalyptic work are asking “when is there going to be a Proper film version of the book?”
Published in 1954, I Am Legend tells the terrifying tale of Robert Neville, the sole survivor of a mysterious airborne virus that has turned everyone, including his wife Virginia and best friend Ben Cortman,...
- 1/5/2014
- Shadowlocked
This story first appeared in the Nov. 22 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.
It's a warm autumn afternoon in Seattle, and the hyped-up crowd at the sports bar Fuel is spilling onto the sidewalk when in walks Hollywood veteran Joe Roth — former chairman of Fox and Disney movie studios and, at 65, one of the industry's smoothest, shrewdest, most gravity-defying producers.
Instantly the bar owner materializes at his side. "Can I announce you're here?" he asks. Roth, in black sweatpants and a hoodie, demurs. "Let's keep it low-key," he says. Too late. "Excuse me, Mr. Roth," asks a patron. "May I shake your hand, sir?"
Photos: Disney's 'Oz the Great and Powerful': Inside the Special Effects
To the sports fans of Seattle, Roth — whose recent films include Alice in Wonderland and Oz the Great and Powerful — is a hero. As managing owner of the Seattle Sounders of Major League...
It's a warm autumn afternoon in Seattle, and the hyped-up crowd at the sports bar Fuel is spilling onto the sidewalk when in walks Hollywood veteran Joe Roth — former chairman of Fox and Disney movie studios and, at 65, one of the industry's smoothest, shrewdest, most gravity-defying producers.
Instantly the bar owner materializes at his side. "Can I announce you're here?" he asks. Roth, in black sweatpants and a hoodie, demurs. "Let's keep it low-key," he says. Too late. "Excuse me, Mr. Roth," asks a patron. "May I shake your hand, sir?"
Photos: Disney's 'Oz the Great and Powerful': Inside the Special Effects
To the sports fans of Seattle, Roth — whose recent films include Alice in Wonderland and Oz the Great and Powerful — is a hero. As managing owner of the Seattle Sounders of Major League...
- 11/14/2013
- by Kim Masters
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Back in the 1950s, the film industry went through some major changes. The studio system (in which the major studios had directors, actors, and writers under contract and matched them up for films) was dying, and the studios had lost ownership of most theater chains due to anti-trust laws, which meant theaters had more freedom in what they could screen. This gave rise to the independent studios, who would hire no-name directors and actors on a per-project basis, could churn out low-budget flicks with sensational topics that could turn a bigger profit.
American International Pictures (Aip) was one of the biggest independent studios of its time, with over 500 films produced and/or distributed by the company. Aip produced Roger Corman's earliest films. The company specialized in "teeny-bopper" films: juvenile crime, horror, and sci-fi tales. Throughout the years, Aip was bought and merged into a number of companies, with MGM...
American International Pictures (Aip) was one of the biggest independent studios of its time, with over 500 films produced and/or distributed by the company. Aip produced Roger Corman's earliest films. The company specialized in "teeny-bopper" films: juvenile crime, horror, and sci-fi tales. Throughout the years, Aip was bought and merged into a number of companies, with MGM...
- 5/7/2013
- by Alyse Wax
- FEARnet
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