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 his films myself including VAMPYRES (1975), DEVIATION (1971), THE HOUSE THAT … Continue reading On Vampyres and Other Symptoms
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 the video at the Morlocks because I thought classic film … Continue reading On Location With Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo
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 Continue reading Charlotte Rampling: The Look
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 of it. I love Jerry Lewis but it’s not always … Continue reading The King of Comedy: Jerry Lewis at 86
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, but on the official web page for the 41st Oscar … Continue reading Young Americans (1967)
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 TCM’s Movie Morlocks Blog. Continue reading A Different View of Hollywood
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 willing to share his knowledge and interests with me. Thanks to him I’ve developed a deep love for mid-century design so I was extremely disappointed to discover that photographer Julius Shulman had passed away last week.
Julius Shulman’s photographs celebrated California modernism. He’s often been called one of our greatest architectural photographers, but his work has only really begun to become fully appreciated by the general public in the last decade thanks to a renewed interest in mid-century design, various exhibits around the world, the publication of many well-received books and a new documentary about his life and work called Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman (Eric Bricker; 2008). The film has been getting great reviews and has won some festival awards, but will finally be getting a wide release in October.
If you’d like to know more about the photographer and the documentary Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman I recommend visiting the film’s official website. At the site you can watch a trailer for the film and find information about upcoming screenings in your area. Visit: juliusshulmanfilm.com.
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: La Chinoise – A Film in the Making Part I. … Continue reading Filmmaking & Politics in 1968
Director Howard S. Berger contacted me with some news about his fascinating new documentary A Life in the Death of Joe Meek (2008) which focuses on the troubled life of the British music maven Joe Meek who I wrote about a few months ago in a piece titled The Mod Musicals of Lance Comfort. A Life in the Death of Joe Meek is currently scheduled … Continue reading A Life in the Death of Joe Meek
“The apolitical does not exist – everything is politics.” —Thomas Mann, The Magic Mountain (1924) President John F. Kennedy with First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy (1963) The 2008 political season is in full swing and it’s been an unforgettable year so far. Watching the first African-American to accept a presidential nomination at the Democratic convention last week was staggering. It was an incredibly important historical moment … Continue reading Everything is politics
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