1. Work – I’m not just referring to freelance writing because that doesn’t pay all the bills, but the other various things/projects I’m working on in an effort to survive.

2. Computer problems – My 8 year old Mac computer with all my files, software, etc. died. I’ve had major problems with the last two Macs I bought & I couldn’t afford another one (I also loath Apple’s business practices) so I purchased a Dell laptop about 2 months ago and I’m still transferring files, making updates, etc. and figuring out how it runs. I used PCs in the ’90s but it’s taking me awhile to forget all my MAC habits and learn how to properly use my new machine.

3. Burn out – I write about movies every week for The Movie Morlocks but they aren’t my only love and they’ve been consuming way too much of my free time. In an attempt to use my free time more wisely – and any writing time I have more productively (and keep from becoming utterly burn out) – I’m focusing a lot of my attention on other things and Cinebeats is going on hiatus in 2013. You can still find my weekly updates at the Morlocks and I’ll occasionally post on Twitter and Facebook (although I’m also utterly burn out with social media as well) but generally speaking, you’re going to see a lot less of me online this year unless I get some fabulous offer to write a regular column about horror films or something (this girl can still dream!).

Every year I always devote some time to the Oscars but after last year’s utterly wretched show of which I wrote:

“The 84th Academy Awards was the worst Oscar show I’ve sat through in ages. Between Billy Crystal’s badly aged/tasteless jokes and the overall dullness of the whole production I can’t believe I got through it all. I still feel abused just from watching it and I’m not surprised they got their lowest ratings ever. I really hope they fire Bruce Vilanch and get some decent writers next year as well as a host who isn’t locked in a 1990 time warp.”

I’m having a hard time justifying watching it again for a number of reasons (I always have a hard time watching but I watch for shits & giggles and even those are getting difficult to come by) and I just haven’t been all that eager to discuss the program or the nominations this year. In general, I think 2012 was a pretty lackluster year for major film releases (and yes, I realize I’m in the minority in thinking that) and unlike years before, I actually saw most of the Oscar nominees thanks to my participation with AWFJ but most of them didn’t leave much of an impression on me. This year Seth Macfarlane is hosting the show and it feels as if the Oscars is trying really damn hard to force me NOT to watch… that’s how much I dislike Macfarlane and his sophomoric humor… but for the 5th year in a row I’ll be tuning in and “Tweeting the Oscars live” while I try to tune Macfarlane & the bad musical numbers out. Now that that’s out of the way, here are 3 reasons I’ll be watching the Oscars tonight:

1. SKYFALL – I spent much of 2012 writing about spy films and my fascination/appreciation with the James Bond franchise but nothing prepared me for how damn good and outright entertaining SKYFALL was. I’m one of those weirdos who believes it was the best Bond film in decades and I wrote a lengthy appreciation of the film (with some reservations) for the Movie Morlocks that you can find here. I’m looking forward to any Bond related wins or tributes that the Oscars might have planned but I’d especially love to see the incredible cinematographer Roger Deakins take home an Oscar for his work on SKYFALL.

2. THE MASTER – To be frank, I had a lot of mixed/indifferent reactions to Paul Thomas Anderson’s earlier films but I consider his last two movies , THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007) and THE MASTER, to be flat out brilliant & beautifully shot. THE MASTER is an amazing looking movie that manages to capture some of the mysterious beauty of the Bay Area in a way that I’ve rarely seen before. It also contains a mesmerizing performance from Joaquin Phoenix that deserves any accolades it gets. It’s a long shot that Phoenix will win a Best Actor Oscar for his unforgettable portrayal of Freddie Quell because he’s the dark horse in a race full of show horses, but he should.

3. AMOUR – I’ve long considered HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR (1959) one of my favorite films so it’s wonderful to see its star, the lovely & talented 86-year-old Emmanuelle Riva, being acknowledged for her performance in Michael Haneke’s harrowing AMOUR, which attempts to look illness, aging & death (topics cinema rarely tackles) in the face without flinching. I would be very happy to see the film, Riva or her director take home an Oscar tonight.

Odds are that I’ll be disappointed on all fronts but I’ll be watching & tweeting with wine in hand while hoping for the best.

This evening starting at 5PM PST/8PM EST the fine folks who run Turner Classic Movies will be handing over their programming schedule to the Movie Morlock Bloggers. Four of my compadres will be guest programmers on TCM and cohost a batch of great movies for your viewing enjoyment along with Robert Osborne.

Films on the schedule include:

THE LOCKET (1946) – A moody film noir featuring Robert Mitchum selected by Suzi Doll

DRACULA’S DAUGHTER (1936) – One of my favorite Universal horror films from the ’30s selected by my longtime cohort & all around groovy guy Richard H. Smith

TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI (1954) – A stylish low-key French crime thriller starring Jean Gabin selected by Moira Neylon

FIVE MILLION YEARS TO EARTH (aka Quatermass and the Pit; 1967) – One of Hammer’s most unusual sci-fi thrillers featuring my favorite Hammer glamour girl, Barbara Shelley selected by Pablo Kjoiseth

I hope all my regular readers – and anyone who supports The Movie Morlocks and what we do over there – will tune in. I’m proud to be part of a team of such diverse and talented writers who share their combined experience, passion, knowledge and love for classic as well as modern movies with you all week after week. If you haven’t seen all the films on the schedule you’re in for a real treat! I’m unfamiliar with THE LOCKET myself so I’m particularly eager to catch up with it and I know it’s going to be great because Suzi wouldn’t point me in the wrong direction. Be there or be square! The choice is yours but I hope you’ll join us.

Recommended Reading:
- Movie Morlocks Blogger Introduction
- It’s Not Easy Being Green: Morlock Pablo gives a painfully honest blow-by-blow story about his own experience on the set filming his segment for TCM.
- Doll, Author Of Ghost Stories Book, Will Co-Host Movie: An interview with Morlock Suzi Doll.
- Son of Dracula’s Daughter: Richard H. Smith gives his personal take on the film he selected tonight, DRACULA’S DAUGHTER.

Apologies for neglecting Cinebeats for a month but I’ve been preoccupied with other things. I took some much needed vacations in late October and November to spend time with family and in the meantime I’ve just been too busy to update the blog. I don’t see things changing much in December due to the holidays and other commitments but I’ll try to make a few more updates next month. In the meantime here are some links to my recent posts at TCM’s Movie Morlocks blog in case you missed them.

- “It’s my blood. I gave it to you.”: A few thoughts about the state of modern horror films along with my take on the independent British/Romanian vampire film STRIGOI (2009).

- Ralph Nelson’s DUEL AT DIABLO (1966): A look at Anderson’s undervalued western DUEL AT DIABLO featuring a very young and very handsome Sidney Poitier in one of his signature roles.

- Art Meets Artifice in Shohei Imamura’s A MAN VANISHES (1967): Icarus Films recently premiered Shohei Imamura’s 1967 film A MAN VANISHES in New York and a DVD release is planned for the future. I got the opportunity to view the film before the premiere and shared my thoughts about it at the Movie Morlocks.

- Spy Games: James Bond is back in SKYFALL (2012): I’ve been looking forward to seeing SKYFALL all year and the film didn’t disappoint. In my latest installment of Spy Games I explain why the film worked for me and explore how Daniel Craig has reshaped the character of James Bond.

- Yul Brynner, Photographer Extraordinaire: We all know that Yul Brynner was an accomplished actor but did you also know that he was a talented photographer who enjoyed snapping pictures of his famous friends? I gathered together some of his best photographs and briefly discussed his photography background in this piece that’s light on words and full of eye-candy.

All month long I’ve been writing about spooky movies and terrifying thrillers at the Movie Morlocks. Here’s a brief rundown of the various topics I tackled that should appeal to my fellow goblins & ghouls.

- Tom Chantrell: Illustrator of Nightmares – A look at one of Hammer’s most prolific movie poster artists.

- Spy Games: International espionage in… Nashville?! – I couldn’t let October pass without continuing my ongoing look at spy films but this month I focused my attention on an unusual espionage farce starring classic horror icons, John Carradine, Lon Chaney Jr. and Basil Rathbone.

- Man’s Best Fiend – Cats are usually associated with Halloween and horror movies but there have been plenty of devilish dogs featured in movies and Man’s Best Fiend focuses on some of the best examples of this phenomenon.

- The Sinister Charm of Simon Ward – The British actor passed away in July but I only heard the news a few weeks ago and October seemed like the perfect month to celebrate Simon Ward’s contributions to horror cinema.

Besides my own posts, you can find a lot more Halloween reading at the Movie Morlocks so please take a moment to visit the blog.

I also want to mention that TCM is playing a batch of great classic horror movies on October 31st including some of my favorites such as THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (1964), THE BODY SNATCHER (1945), FRANKENSTEIN (1941) and ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (1933). For more info & a complete schedule of movies being shown please visit TCM.

Tom Chantrell is one of my favorite movie poster artists and October seemed like the perfect month to spotlight some of his work at the Movie Morlocks. Here’s brief introduction to the man and his work from a recent blog post:

Throughout Hammer studio’s long reign as Britain’s most infamous purveyor of horror films, Tom Chantrell became their unrecognized ambassador of goodwill. Chantrell was a talented artist who created some of world’s most memorable movie posters but his main body of work was done in association with the “studio that dripped blood.” Chantrell’s use of bright colors and bold type along with his use of dramatic framing and action oriented poses helped define the look of Hammer films. His true gift was his ability to breathe life into a movie before audiences had a chance to see it on screen. Frightening monsters and busty beauties became his forté and during the 1960s and 1970s Chantrell’s name was synonymous with nightmares.

Follow the link below to continue reading.
- Tom Chantrell – Illustrator of Nightmares @ TCM’s Movie Morlocks

I recently got the opportunity to ask Randall D. Larson, the author of Musique Fantastique, a few questions for the Movie Morlocks. Please follow the link below to read his responses.

- Musique Fantastique: An Interview with Author Randall D. Larson @ TCM’s Movie Morlocks Blog

Sophia Loren modeling some of the Christian Dior costumes she wore in ARABESQUE (1966)

Today Sophia Loren is celebrating her 77th birthday so I decided to dedicate this month’s addition of Spy Games to Stanley Donen’s ARABESQUE (1966), which features one of my favorite Loren performances. It’s a fun and fast-paced spy romp with loads of style. Here’s a brief excerpt from my post:

Films with simple plots and cookie cutter narratives rarely hold my interest and although I can understand why ARABESQUE is often criticized for its convoluted script and erratic editing, these things don’t bother me. When I go to the movies I want to be knocked out by the visuals and in that regard ARABESQUE is a much more arresting film than CHARADE. Stanley Donen along with cinematographer Christopher Challis pulled out all the stops when they were making ARABESQUE and their everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach works for me.

In Dancing on the Ceiling: Stanley Donen and his Movies, Donen expressed his frustration with the script and is quoted as saying, “We had to make it so interesting visually that no one will think about it.” And scriptwriter Peter Stone, added that Donen, “shot it better than he ever shot any picture. Everything was shot as though it were a reflection in a Rolls-Royce headlamp.” Gregory Peck also added, “If you look at the picture, we were always moving, because Stanley just wanted to keep the ball in the air the entire time, and he used every camera trick you could think of.”

Stanely Donen’s creative tactics turned ARABESQUE into a pop art extravaganza loaded with memorable images and mod flourishes. The director’s camera moves under tables, glides through the air and takes aim at any reflective surface that’s handy. He also plays with light and shadows giving the film a completely artificial atmosphere at times that only adds to the comic book look of the movie.

You can find my latest installment of Spy Games at the Movie Morlocks.
- Spy Games: Stanley Donen’s ARABESQUE (1966) @ TCM’s Movie Morlcoks

I recently re-watched Michael Crichton‘s COMA (1978) and was pleasantly surprised by how effective the film still was. You can read my full take on the film at the Movie Morlocks but here’s an excerpt:

Taking its cues from films like Roman Polanski’s ROSEMARY’S BABY (1968) and Bryan Forbes’s THE STEPFORD WIVES (1975), COMA uses elements of fantasy, science fiction and horror to ask important questions about gender inequality as well as office politics in the wake of the sexual revolution. Today COMA might seem somewhat outdated in its broad portrayal of gender biases (or incredibly pertinent depending on your social outlook) but it’s important to remember that Roe v. Wade was only 4 years old at the time that COMA was made and the medical field was still largely a man’s world where women were destined to take nursing positions.

Bujold’s character is expected to follow orders and her handsome boyfriend (Michael Douglas) seems determined to keep her in line but throughout the film Bujold rejects every attempt to confine her and her ideas. Is Bujold just an emotionally unstable woman trying to blame the hospital for her friend’s medical dilemma? Or are the coma victims pawns in some sinister plan being executed by a Hippocratic brotherhood? I may have given too much of the movie’s basic plot line away but COMA has plenty of unexpected twists and turns that should appeal to mystery and horror enthusiasts as well as science fiction fans.

You can find my full post at the Movie Morlocks
- Going Under: Revisiting COMA (1978) @ TCM’s Movie Morlocks

From my latest installment of Spy Games at the Movie Morlocks:

“In the late ‘60s Doris Day starred in two spy spoofs directed by Frank Tashlin, THE GLASS BOTTOM BOAT (1967) and CAPRICE (1968). At the time Day was 43-years-old and one of Hollywood’s biggest stars but her career was in decline. Critics seemed to relish taking potshots at the movies she appeared in while launching full-blown attacks on her squeaky-clean image. Day was commonly referred to as “the eternal virgin” and when the sexual revolution heated up the middle-aged actress was unfairly pigeonholed as a perpetual square. The fact remains that while many actresses were regulated to the role of sex object, wife or mother, Doris Day often played independent working-class women with professional careers who reluctantly fell in love. And while Day’s characters may have been prone to clumsy mishaps and verbal blunders, she was usually able to outsmart her male costars. Frank Tashlin seemed to understand Doris Day’s strengths as a performer and in THE GLASS BOTTOM BOAT and CAPRICE he has lots of fun playing with critical assumptions and expectations.”

Want to read more? Follow the link:
- Spy Games: Frank Tashlin & Doris Day Go Undercover @ TCM’s Movie Morlocks

The most noteworthy person currently using guerrilla-style projection as an activism tool is Mark Read, who is best known for projecting a giant “Bat Signal” with illuminated text like “99%” “Another World is Possible” and “Don’t Be Afraid” on New York’s Verizon building while thousands of demonstrators marched across the Brooklyn Bridge on November 17, 2011. Read’s creative protest was one of the most important & powerful moments in Occupy’s complicated history but it wasn’t his last. He’s currently trying to raise money and awareness by asking supporters to donate to a Kickstarter campaign that will help fund the Illuminator project and keep it running. The goal of the Illuminator project is to gain enough funds to help buy and maintain a number of Illuminator vans that will be equipped with powerful projectors that will allow them to participate in various protests in different locations across the US. It’s an ambitious idea and one well worth supporting. Read and his crew recently used one of the Illuminator vans to protest the arrest & imprisonment of the Russian female punk band Pussy Riot by projecting “Free Pussy Riot” on the Russian Consulate building in New York.

If the Occupy Cinema movement wants to survive it will have to follow Mark Read’s lead. I like imagining a world where Occupy Cinema activists are able to buy & maintain mobile theaters much like these Mobile Drive-In Theaters or even the somewhat limiting Cinetransformers that seat nearly 100 audience members. That way they could easily participate in various protests across the country or create their own politically minded events. Imagine hundreds of mobile drive-ins rolling into towns across the country and sharing films that promoted a cause, illuminated particular ideas or documented history for free. This is just one idea and it would take money to fund these mobile cinemas but like Mark Read, other Occupy Cinema leaders could turn to Kickstarter and social media sites for help as well as reach out to various organizations. Of course it would also be extremely helpful if more filmmakers, critics, scholars and even bloggers supported the idea of Occupy Cinema.

I personally think the arts are the world’s most effective tools for promoting change. No political speech can match the impact of hearing Bob Dylan sing “The Times They Are a-Changin” or Bob Marley and the Wailers belting out “Get Up, Stand Up.” No political pamphlet can possibly be as effective as Dalton Trumbo’s Johnny Got His Gun or Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 and no campaign ad can compare to the experience of watching John Ford’s The Grapes of Wrath or Barbara Kopple’s Harlan County U.S.A. The transformative powers of cinema are limitless but reaching a receptive audience isn’t easy. Occupy Cinema has the potential to promote positive change but it can’t do that without lots of support.

Unfortunately mainstream news programs have stopped covering the Occupy Movement even though pockets of it are still very active and alternative news sources have shifted much of their focus to other topics such as the current election. Out of site means out of mind in today’s frenzied news cycle and as attention spans continue to shrink it’s important that anyone involved or interested in Occupy Cinema maintain a visible presence online as well as on the ground. Of course this can be difficult when a movement isn’t run by conventional means. Like the original Occupy Movement, which frustrated journalists trying to pigeonhole it, Occupy Cinema seems to be a collective idea that welcomes all kinds of participants with different motivations and varying degrees of participation. But being active on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and Youtube is important and promoting events like the recent Occupy Film Festival in New York is vital so that the ideas behind Occupy Cinema can survive and thrive even if its initial participants lose interest. Hopefully the one year anniversary of the Occupy Movement will help revitalize the concept of Occupy Cinema and encourage future activities and events that help promote change. Or at the very least, it might remind us of how powerful cinema and the projected image can be while inspiring us to find ways we can use cinema to provoke social and political change in our own lives.

Further Reading & Viewing:
- Occupy’s ‘bat signal’ tries to keep the movement in spotlight by Peter Rugh
- “Occupy Bat Signal” Artist Returns With “Occupy Batmobile,” Codenamed “The Illuminator” by Benjamin Sutton
- The Illuminator official site
- Occupy artists take message to streets from BBC News
- Occupy the Film Festival by Michelle Chen
- Occupy Cinecittà – Workers of the Italian film industry protest as the famous studios of Cinecittà in Rome face closure after a disastrous privatization from Struggles In Italy
- Occupy Cinema on Vimeo
- Magnificent Revolution promoting ‘Bicycle Powered Cinema’ in the UK

Southeast Asian cinema is an area I’m not all that familiar with. I’ve only seen a small number of movies made in that region of the world and almost all of them have been horror films or unusual exploitation movies with limited appeal. This is partially due to the fact that horror is my favorite film genre and usually the first avenue I explore when I’m curious about a specific country’s cinematic output. But the restricted availability of Southeast Asian films combined with scant information about the movies being made there has also dictated what I’ve chosen to watch. Thankfully the various barriers that have limited my own appreciation of Southeast Asian cinema are slowly shifting as more and more films from the area are released in the US.

At the cusp of this sea change comes a welcome new book and accompanying DVD published by Asiexpo simply titled Southeast Asian Cinema. This bilingual book featuring both English and French text promises to shine some much needed light on the film history of the region as well as the people who make the movies and the numerous obstacles they face while attempting to reach a wider audience.

You’ll find the rest of my review at the Movie Morlocks.
- Discovering New Territory in Southeast Asian Cinema @ TCM’s Movie Morlocks

I was disappointed to learn that Phyliss Diller had passed away last week so I devoted my recent Movie Morlocks post to her titled, Goodnight Phyllis, We Love You. Here’s a brief excerpt from my post:

The wife, mother and career woman who started life as Phyllis Ada Driver on July 17, 1917 didn’t share much in common with the funny character she created on stage. Diller didn’t smoke and the cigarette holder she always carried was merely a prop. Her husband ‘Fang’ was a fictional creation that didn’t resemble either of her two very real husbands. And while she enjoyed mocking domesticity, Diller actually enjoyed being a mother. She also loved to cook and by all accounts was a terrific chef who referred to her kitchen as the “favorite room” in her house. She liked to come across as an uncultured and unsuccessful housewife but she was actually a whip smart classically trained pianist, a jazz enthusiast, an acclaimed artist and a brilliant gag writer who wrote all of her own material. When she was performing Diller appeared to be utterly confident and self-assured even while she was cracking jokes at her own expense but she was actually deeply insecure about her appearance. She eventually resorted to countless plastic surgery procedures in an effort to transform her face and body. Simply put, Phyllis Diller was a bundle of contradictions if you believed her stage persona was actually self-referential. Much like Lucille Ball who created the ditzy character of Lucy, Phyllis Diller created an imaginary stage character that acted as a filter for her jokes and had little in common with the real woman hidden behind the carefully constructed costumes and wigs. But Diller the woman and Diller the stand-up comic both had a generous sense of humor and I’m grateful that she was able to share that with us.

To read more just follow the link . . .
- Goodnight Phyllis, We Love You @ TCM’s Movie Morlocks blog

Further reading . . .
- Party Tips From Phyllis Diller

From my latest post at the Movie Morlocks:

Some women like men who drive fast cars; others prefer men with an athletic build while some find a uniform irresistible. Me? I appreciate a good pair of spectacles.

During a recent trip to the eye doctor I started thinking about all my favorite actors who have worn eyeglasses such as the indispensable, Sir Michael Caine. Caine’s eyewear became part of his personality in the ‘60s. He was witty, charming, a notorious lady’s man, and part of his appeal was those thick dark rimmed glasses he often wore. They gave him a mischievous and cultured look that was somewhat at odds with his thick Cockney accent and seemed to represent the very essence of Britannia style cool. If something was swinging in old London town, you could be sure that Michael Caine knew it.

Want to read more & see lots of great photos of many of my favorite actors wearing specs? Follow the link . . .
- I Only Make Passes at Boys Who Wear Glasses @ TCM’s Movie Morlocks Blog

Yesterday, on what would have been Hitchcock’s 113th birthday, the blogosphere and various social networking sites were being bombarded with “Top 5″ and “Top 10″ lists of Hitchcock films. My inner cynic’s response was; “How in the hell do you narrow down Hitchock’s filmography to a simple Top 5 list? You can’t. And if you can I suspect you haven’t seen many of Hitchcock’s films. Compiling a Top 10 is tough enough but compiling a Top 5 is a fool’s errand.” I stand by that observation because 5 years ago I tried to make my own list of 5 Favorite Hitchcock Films followed by a list of 10 Favorite Hitchcock films and I failed at both. I ended up with a list of “15 Favorite Hitchcock Films” instead. My own list of favorites hasn’t changed in 5 years but occasionally I regret not including a few. I’ve been known to shout out SHADOW OF A DOUBT (as longtime readers & friendly acquaintances can attest) when I’m asked what my favorite Hitchcock film is but there are actually a number of Hitch’s movies that I find equally engrossing for a variety of reasons. Although Joseph Cotten has always gotten my vote for giving the best performance in any Hitchcock film. Period! No room for argument there.

Below is an alphabetical list of my own “15 Favorite Hitchcock Films” that I’m reasonably comfortable sharing. As I mentioned 5 years ago, I  didn’t bother numbering the list because their numerical order isn’t significant to me and I frankly kind of enjoyed seeing VERTIGO at the bottom of my list. Don’t get my wrong, I love VERTIGO but it seems silly and reductive to single it out in a filmography that is loaded with so many great movies. The impact of every Hitchcock film changes for me with each viewing. Some films grow in stature while others lose some of their original lustre but these 15 remain my personal favorites . . . for now.

The Birds (1963)
“Can I bring the lovebirds, Mitch? They haven’t harmed anyone.”

Dial M for Murder (1954)
“Do you really believe in the perfect murder?”

Foreign Correspondent (1940)
“I’ve been watching a part of the world being blown to pieces. A part of the world as nice as Vermont, and Ohio.”

Frenzy (1972)
“Do I look like a sex murderer to you? Can you imagine me creeping around London, strangling all those women with ties? That’s ridiculous… For a start, I only own two.”

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
“To a man with a heart as soft as mine, there’s nothing sweeter than a touching scene.”

Marnie (1964)
“You don’t love me. I’m just something you’ve caught. You think I’m some sort of animal you’ve trapped!”

North by Northwest (1959)
“And what the devil is all this about? Why was I brought here?”

Psycho (1960)
“She might have fooled me, but she didn’t fool my mother.”

Rebecca (1940)
“Sometimes, when I walk along the corridor, I fancy I hear her just behind me.”

Rope (1948)
“I’ve always wished for more artistic talent. Well, murder can be an art, too.”

Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
“The world’s a hell. What does it matter what happens in it?”

Spellbound (1945)
“We both know that the mind of a woman in love is operating on the lowest level of intellect.”

Strangers on a Train (1951)
“My theory is that everyone is a potential murderer.”

The Trouble with Harry (1955)
“He looked exactly the same when he was alive, only he was vertical.”

Vertigo (1958)
“Anyone could become obsessed with the past with a background like that!”

On a side note, I’ve been catching up with episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (TV Series 1962–1965) lately and really enjoying them. If I get a chance I might write about a few of my favorites.

During the month of August TCM will play host to their annual Summer Under the Stars event and for the last few years I’ve been asked to participate in an in-house blogathon devoted to one actor who is being featured in their line-up. This year Toshiro Mifune is our man of honor and I was happy to be able to contribute a piece on one of my favorite westerns, Terence Young’s RED SUN (1971). The film isn’t flawless but very few are and with a cast that includes some of my favorite actors including Alain Delon, Charles Bronson, Ursula Andress and the man of the hour, Toshiro Mifune, it’s nearly impossible to find RED SUN anything less than charming. It’s also surprisingly entertaining! My post focuses on Mifune’s contributions to the western genre, which got him saddled (literally!) with comparisons to John Wayne throughout his career.

Follow the link to read more:
- Toshiro Mifune, Japan’s John Wayne @ TCM’s Movie Morlocks