Today should have been Oliver Reed’s 80th birthday but he left this world in 1999 at age 61. To celebrate the occasion I decided to compile a collection of links to various things I’ve written about the man and his work. Some are just bits and bobs while others are more thoughtful considerations of films he appeared in. Reed has been a constant figure of praise … Continue reading Remembering Oliver Reed
Last year I wrote a piece about one of my favorite Freddie Francis’ films, the black horror comedy Girly (1969). At the time there was little to no information about the movie available online but that’s about to change. I’m happy to report that Girly (aka Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly) will be released on DVD by Scorpion Entertainment on March 30th. From the company … Continue reading Girly Comes to DVD!
Howard Trevor, Ursula Howells, Vanessa Howard & Pat Heywood in Freddie Francis’ Girly (1969) Creepy families with murderous intentions have become a staple of horror cinema. Most recently directors like Rob Zombie have attempted to cash in on this long standing tradition with films like House of 1000 Corpses (2003) and The Devil’s Rejects (2005), but long before Rob ever stood behind a camera other … Continue reading Freddie Francis’ Girly (1969)
Apologies for the long delay! My annual list of Favorite DVDs always takes longer to compile than I expect it will. You can find the first part of this list here. Now on to Part II #11-20 . . . Cornel Wilde in The Naked Prey (1966) 11. The Naked Prey (Criterion) You can read my my thoughts about The Naked Prey here. Bette Davis … Continue reading Favorite DVD Releases of 2008: Part II
I’ve mentioned before how much I dislike blog memes. I find most of them really dull and pointless, but occasionally I get asked to participate in one that sparks my interest. The following 12 Films I Must See meme was forwarded my way by Dennis at Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule and it’s a doozy. The point of the meme is to list … Continue reading 12 Films I Must See
I had planned on finishing up the Lucio Fulci tribute I started last week but I was deeply saddened to learn that the great British filmmaker & cinematographer Freddie Francis had passed away on March 17th due to complications following a stroke. In light of this, I decided to spend some time writing about Francis instead since he’s long been one of my favorite filmmakers. … Continue reading R.I.P. Freddie Francis 1917-2007
The official Hammer Films website has been bustling with activity lately. As a long time lover of Hammer films, it’s been nice to see the site alive and kicking again. You can also find Hammer news at their new Myspace page. Hammer has recently announced the release of lots of new official merchandise such as a nice looking t-shirt line available from Razamataz.com as well … Continue reading Hammer Thrills & Chills
