The Doors Are Always Open at The Phantom Playhouse

A gentle reminder that The Phantom Playhouse - Cinebeats' sister site focused on horror cinema - is open for business and the tickets are always free. Its been updated recently and collects articles or links to all of my horror focused writing. If you know me you know that horror is my favorite film genre …

OUT OF THE CLOSET: TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL (2015)

On September 19 TCM is airing a Tab Hunter double feature. More info about programming can be found at the end of my post. Everyone loves a Hollywood tragedy. The violent murders of Sharon Tate and Sal Mineo generate more press and web articles than the body of work they left behind while the estates …

Knock Down the House (2019)

Knock Down the House is a sobering and uplifting account of four formidable grassroots female candidates (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Paula Jean Swearengin, Amy Vilela and Cori Bush) running for office against Democratic incumbents during the 2018 primary. This intimate documentary illuminates the obstacles these working-class women faced on the campaign trail while trying to navigate a political …

MIFUNE: THE LAST SAMURAI (2015)

A quick search of Filmstruck brought up an impressive 24 films featuring the late great Toshirô Mifune including Drunken Angel (1948), Stray Dog (1949), Rashomon (1950), Seven Samurai (1954), Throne of Blood (1957), The Bad Sleep Well (1960), Yojimbo (1961), Red Beard (1965) and Samurai Rebellion(1967). Mifune was a giant in the world of Japanese cinema and although I’ve written a little bit about his background in the past in pieces such as Toshiro Mifune, Japan’s …

CREATIVE COLLABORATION: JANE B. PAR AGNÈS V. (1988)

When Jane Birkin (Blow-Up [1966], Wonderwall [1968], La Piscine [1968], Don Juan (or If Don Juan Were a Woman) [1973], Je t’aime moi non plus [1976], Death on the Nile [1978], La Belle Noiseuse [1991])) was getting ready to celebrate her 40th birthday in 1986 she confessed to filmmaker Agnès Varda, that she had reservations about growing older. Varda, who was almost 60-years-old at the time, told Birkin …

My Favorite Films of 2017

I contributed a list of my 20 Favorite Films seen in 2017 to the annual Senses of Cinema World Poll in the form of an illustration scanned & cleaned up in Photoshop. I wanted to have fun with the process this year and didn't feel much like writing about all the films on my list …

Looking for Fellini: HOW STRANGE TO BE NAMED FEDERICO (2013)

Ettore Scola might not be as renowned as his lifelong friend and fellow filmmaker Federico Fellini but before he died in 2016, Scola’s work had earned him ample critical acclaim and numerous Academy Award nominations for Best Foreign Language Film. Four of Scola’s films are currently streaming on FilmStruck including UGLY, DIRTY AND BAD (’76), …

On Vampyres and Other Symptoms

I recently had the opportunity to view Celia Novis' new documentary, ON VAMPYRES AND OTHER SYMPTOMS (2011), about the life and work of director José Ramón Larraz. Larraz is one of Spain's most fascinating horror filmmakers but his work is hard to get a hold of and I've only managed to see a handful of …

On Location With Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo

In my latest post at the Movie Morlocks I interview fellow film blogger and all-around groovy gal, Klara Tavakoli Goesche who manages Retro Active Critiques. Klara also makes videos and she recently produced her own short film highlighting some of the San Francisco locations seen in Hitchcock's VERTIGO. I asked her if I could debut …

Charlotte Rampling: The Look

One of my favorite working actors is the beguiling Charlotte Rampling and I recently got the opportunity to watch Angelina Maccarone's new film, CHARLOTTE RAMPLING: THE LOOK (2011). THE LOOK is an atypical documentary and Rampling reveals very little about her past but she does talk a lot about the fine art of acting

The King of Comedy: Jerry Lewis at 86

My latest post at TCM's Movie Morlocks focuses on the controversial comedian Jerry Lewis who is celebrating his birthday tomorrow. From my post: "On Friday, March 16th, Jerry Lewis will be celebrating his 86th birthday. Jerry’s been on my mind a lot lately so I didn’t want to let the occasion pass without making note …

Young Americans (1967)

The Young Americans (1967) From my latest piece at the Movie Morlocks ... "In 1968 five documentary films were nominated for an Oscar but you’d never know that from looking at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences website. The site claims to feature a complete list of all the Oscar nominees and winners, …

A Different View of Hollywood

Last year I made note of a new documentary about photographer Julius Shulman called Visual Acoustics (Eric Bricker; 2008). I'm happy to report that the film was released on DVD a few months ago and I finally got the opportunity to watch it over the weekend. You can find my review of Visual Acoustics at …

Home Is Where the Heart Is

Photo by Julius Shulman (1960) Being married to a graphic artist and pre-press technician has its advantages. My bookshelves are overflowing with great design books and over the years I've been exposed to the work of many designers and design movements that I probably would have remained unaware of if my husband hadn't been so …

Filmmaking & Politics in 1968

The following four videos make up a fascinating 40 min. film by D.A. Pennebaker called Two American Audiences: La Chinoise - A Film in the Making. It chronicles a meeting that took place in 1968 between director Jean-Luc Godard and NYU film students who discuss Godard's film La Chinoise, filmmaking and politics. Two American Audiences: …