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 …

SEDUCED BY PIERRE CLÉMENTI

Listen, Let’s Make Love (Scusi, facciamo l’amore?; 1967) begins with a series of scenic images highlighting the beauty and splendor of Milan, Italy accompanied by one of Ennio Morricone’s most sensual scores. As Edda Dell’Orso seductively moans over the opening credits we’re introduced to Italy’s “moral capital” through the eyes of a young man named Lallo …

Favorite Film Books of 2017

With the holidays fast approaching I thought I would recommend an eclectic selection of my favorite film books released in 2017 in case you’re looking for gifts to please the cinephiles in your life. My picks include a variety of reading material for all budgets and tastes including many titles that are closely linked to …

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), …

10 Fun Facts About Barbara Steele

Barbara Steele became a cult film icon thanks to her memorable roles in a number of low-budget horror movies but her filmography also includes critically acclaimed art films and interesting British dramas. FilmStruck and Criterion Channel subscribers can currently stream four of Steele’s best movies and when viewed together they become a wonderful, rowdy and …

Ghost Girls & Bouncing Balls: KILL, BABY KILL! (1966)

Film historians and critics generally agree that the golden age of Italian horror cinema occurred between 1957-1966. The timeframe suggests that as the Swinging Sixties came to a sobering end film audience’s lost interest in baroque Gothic thrillers. This was undoubtedly due to several factors including increasing familiarity with repetitive genre devices as well as …

Film Writing Nov. 2016 – April 2017

It's been awhile. Work obligations, as well as personal projects and other responsibilities, have taken precedence over updating my blogs. Of course, you can always find me on my Tumblr as well as Twitter & Facebook. Before I let another month get away, I thought I'd finally share an update to the film writing I've …

SURVEYING THE RED DESERT (1964)

  “There’s something terrible about reality and I don’t know what it is.” – Giuliana (Monica Vitti) Modern malaise and alienation are two themes that Michelangelo Antonioni (L’Avventura [1960], La notte[1961], L’eclisse [1962]) returned to repeatedly throughout the 1960s. In Red Desert (1964), which is currently streaming on FilmStruck and available on DVD and Blu-ray from Criterion, these ideas find expression in Italy’s …

Happy New Year! + Nov. & Dec. at TCM’s Movie Morlocks

Happy New Year. So much to say and so little time to say it. Instead, I'll save my rambling end of the year diatribe for another day and leave you with some links to the film writing I've done at TCM's Movie Morlocks blog during the past few months. Cheers! November: - Another Hole in …

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. …

April & May at The Movie Morlocks

Highlights from my April & May contributions to TCM’s Movie Morlocks. You can read all the articles by following the links below: - Happy Birthday Doris! Excerpt: "The legacy of this vivacious movie star, popular vocalist, television personality and animal rights advocate is truly unparalleled. And knowing Doris Day’s is still here with us doing …

Spy Games: MATCHLESS (1967)

For my fourth installment of Spy Games I decided to highlight the funny Italian spy spoof MATCHLESS (1967) directed by Alberto Lattuada. Criterion's released a couple of Lattuada's films including MAFIOSO (1962) and VARIETY LIGHTS (1950), which he co-directed with Fredrico Fellini. But I hadn't seen any of Lattuada's other films until I came across his two silly & stylish spy spoofs currently streaming on Netflix...

ZEN on PBS

Actress Catherine Spaak in 1966 I rarely write about modern films or new television shows but if you happen to follow me on Twitter or Facebook you've probably noticed that I occasionally mention movies and TV shows that don't warrant a full post on Cinebeats. My latest obsession is the BBC import currently playing on …

An Evening with Terence Stamp

Last Friday I had the pleasure of attending an event titled "An Evening with Terence Stamp" that took place during the 2011 San Francisco International Film Festival at the Castro Theatre. Regular Cinebeats' readers are probably well aware that Stamp is one of my favorite actors so I was overjoyed to get the opportunity to …

Jodorowsky at Severin

Severin has recently released my favorite Alejandro Jodorowsky film on DVD, the magnificent Santa Sangre (1989). Santa Sangre has been one of my favorite films since I originally saw it on video back in 1990. It had an extremely limited theatrical run and hasn't been available on DVD in the US until now. Severin did …