During Toshiro Mifune’s impressive career in front of the camera he was often referred to as the “John Wayne of Japan.” Like Wayne, Mifune was a powerful and commanding screen presence and one of his country’s biggest box-office stars. His rugged good looks and macho posturing seemed to represent a distinct kind of masculine ideal … Continue reading TOSHIRO MIFUNE, JAPAN’S JOHN WAYNE
THE LIVING AND THE DEAD: L’ECLISSE (1962)
While recently rewatching Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’Eclisse (aka The Eclipse, 1962) I received the sad news that George Romero had died. The celebrated Italian art-house auteur and the American director behind the hugely popular Living Dead franchise aren’t typically associated with one another but I suspect that Antonioni’s work may have inspired Romero early in his career. In The Cinema of George … Continue reading THE LIVING AND THE DEAD: L’ECLISSE (1962)
CRIME & PUNISHMENT: LE CERCLE ROUGE (1970)
August 10, 2017: FilmStruck is currently streaming 11 films featuring Alain Delon as part of their “Icons: Alain Delon” theme and for the next 4 weeks I’ll be spotlighting a few of my favorite titles in this collection. To learn more about the French actor please see a previous post I wrote in 2010 to celebrate … Continue reading CRIME & PUNISHMENT: LE CERCLE ROUGE (1970)
HONOR AMONG THIEVES: FAREWELL, FRIEND (1968)
In the tradition of classic French heist films such as Touchez pas au grisbi (1954), Rififi (1955) and Bob le flambeur (1956), Farewell, Friend (aka Honor Among Thieves, 1968) takes viewers on a treacherous adventure where femme fatales lurk around every shadowy corner and crime rarely pays. But that doesn’t stop some fortune hunters from risking everything to make a quick buck or in … Continue reading HONOR AMONG THIEVES: FAREWELL, FRIEND (1968)
The Ice-Cold Angel: Alain Delon
I am not a star. I am an actor. I have been fighting for years to make people forget that I am just a pretty boy with a beautiful face. It’s a hard fight, but I will win it. I want the public to realize that above all I am an actor, a very professional … Continue reading The Ice-Cold Angel: Alain Delon
DUELING DELONS: SPIRITS OF THE DEAD (1968)
In the 1960s anthology (also known as omnibus or portmanteau) films became extremely popular and were attractive to producers who wanted to appeal to a broad range of viewers. The segmented format also encouraged audiences to make multiple trips to the concession stand, which pleased theater owners. Sex comedies were particularly trendy but the … Continue reading DUELING DELONS: SPIRITS OF THE DEAD (1968)
Like Father, Like Son – Doppelgangers
One of my most interesting recent discoveries is a short film made by director Julien Landais. It's titled DER DOPPELGANGER (2014) and stars Alain Delon's youngest son, Alain-Fabien Delon Jr. who was just 20-years-old at the time. What fascinates me about Landais’s film is that it seems to borrow some visual motifs from my favorite horror … Continue reading Like Father, Like Son – Doppelgangers
June & July at the Movie Morlocks
I haven't been online much the last few months for a number of reasons. First and foremost, I've been having some medical problems with my left eye and spending lots of time on my computer reading, watching vids and writing can often be problematic. My eyes get easily irritated and I'm prone to headaches, etc. … Continue reading June & July at the Movie Morlocks
February & March at The Movie Morlocks
I've been neglecting Cinebeats again. Having a hard time getting back into the swing of things around here and other endeavors are keeping me from the blog. But I thought I'd finally update with a quick list of some highlights from my February & Mach contributions to TCM's Movie Morlocks. You can read all the … Continue reading February & March at The Movie Morlocks
2013 at the Movie Morlocks
Jess Franco 1930-2013 What follows is a collection of links to some of my posts at TCM's Movie Morlocks from 2013. These are (in my estimation) the best and most interesting articles I wrote last year but you can read my entire output for 2013 at the Movie Morlocks if you peruse the archives. From … Continue reading 2013 at the Movie Morlocks
Terence Young’s Red Sun (1971)
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 … Continue reading Terence Young’s Red Sun (1971)
A Retro Night Gallery
"Vincent Price" One of my favorite working artists is SHAG (aka Josh Agle) and he's created some wonderful retro style pieces inspired by various movies over the years. A lot of his best work takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to horror and sci-fi films so I thought I'd share some of my favorite SHAG pieces during … Continue reading A Retro Night Gallery
