We live in the age of remakes and prequels. Every month Hollywood rolls out an easily recognizable title that’s been repackaged and recast with a plot that’s all too familiar. The horror and science fiction genre has been hit the hardest by these reimagined movies that all too often fall extremely short of the original … Continue reading REIMAGINING A CLASSIC: WERNER HERZOG’S NOSFERATU
6 Months of Film Writing
I'm afraid I've been neglecting Cinebeats again but I've been busy with various personal projects and obligations. I've also recently started writing for Publishers Weekly but I thought I'd finally update with some highlights from TCM's Movie Morlocks. Here's some of the more interesting (in my estimation) film related writing & entertaining babble I've produced … Continue reading 6 Months of Film Writing
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
Klaus Kinski in Nosferatu
I promised more Kinski and now I'm delivering... Over at the Movie Morlocks you can find my recent post on Werner Herzog's 1979 film NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE. It's one of my favorite Herzog films and I think it contains one of Klaus Kinski's most compelling performances. This modern reimagining of F. W. Murnau's NOSFERATU (1922) … Continue reading Klaus Kinski in Nosferatu
Klaus Kinski as Ahmed Kortobawi
Today would have been Klaus Kinski's 85th birthday if he were still alive. I've written birthday tributes to Klaus before but today I thought I'd share a little something about one of my favorite Klaus Kinski films, Jess Franco's remarkable Venus in Furs aka Paroxismus (1969). From the DVD box: "Of all the twisted hits … Continue reading Klaus Kinski as Ahmed Kortobawi
What’s It All About, Alfie?
Michael Caine was one of the coolest actors working during the '60s and '70s but he was also incredibly sexy. He had unconventional good looks and I love the thick black glasses he used to wear that often hid his eyes and amazingly long lashes. Michael Caine may have played a British tough guy on … Continue reading What’s It All About, Alfie?
Stalking Klaus Kinski or How I Worshiped a Madman
Klaus Kinski b. October 18, 1926 - d. November 23, 1991 Today would have been Klaus Kinski's 83rd birthday and in honor of the event I thought I'd share something I originally wrote about the actor back in 2003 on Valentine's Day but have since expanded on.* "One should judge a man mainly from his … Continue reading Stalking Klaus Kinski or How I Worshiped a Madman
10 Characters I Love
The task: Make a list of 10 of your favorite film characters.As much as I tend to dislike these blog memes, I couldn't say no to The Agitation of the Mind, Coosa Creak Cinema and Bubblegum Aesthetics so I finally took the plunge and decided to participate. Like any self-respecting film enthusiast I have hundreds … Continue reading 10 Characters I Love
My Top 20 Favorite Films of 1968
At the Britannica blog Raymond Benson has finished listing off his Top 10 Favorite Films of 1968 so if you're interested in the final results stop by and give them a look. I've mentioned on numerous occasions how much I dislike making lists of favorite films myself since they're limited by what I've seen and … Continue reading My Top 20 Favorite Films of 1968
A Spaghetti Western Top Ten
I love Spaghetti Westerns. The best ones are what I would call "gothic westerns" since they combine some of the best aspects of Italian gothic horror films and literature with classic American westerns and western novels. They are filled with high drama but laced with subtlety. They offer romantic views of the west but they're … Continue reading A Spaghetti Western Top Ten
A Bullet Doesn’t Care Who It Kills
Like the Bandit... Like the Gringo... A bullet doesn't care who it kills! Blue Underground recently re-released the excellent spaghetti western A Bullet for the General (El Chuncho, quien sabe?, 1966) on DVD and I thought I’d take some time to write about the film since it’s one of my favorite westerns. The movie begins … Continue reading A Bullet Doesn’t Care Who It Kills
The Eurotrash Pinnacle Project
David Zuzelo who runs the terrific blog Tomb it May Concern started what he refers to as The Eurotrash Pinnacle Project. It's an effort to bring together a list of favorite Eurotrash films from every genre imaginable including eurohorror, giallo, eurospy and spaghetti westerns. I recently contributed my own list of Top 10 Eurotrash films … Continue reading The Eurotrash Pinnacle Project
Favorite DVD Releases of 2006 – Part III.
This is the final part of my 30 Favorite DVD Releases of 2006 list that I’ve been slowly putting together. You can find Parts I. and II. HERE. Please keep in mind that these are all official NTSC Region 1 DVDs of films originally released between 1960 and 1979 and the numerical order means absolutely … Continue reading Favorite DVD Releases of 2006 – Part III.
The Music of Ennio Morricone
On Sunday (Feb. 25th) Ennio Morricone will receiving an Honorary "Lifetime Achievement" Oscar at this years' Academy Awards ceremony to celebrate his contribution to the art of film music. It's unbelievable that it's taken the Academy so long to recognize Morricone's incredible contribution to cinema, but thankfully they're going to try and make up for … Continue reading The Music of Ennio Morricone
Favorite DVD Releases of 2006 – Part II.
This is the second part of my 30 Favorite DVD Releases of 2006 list that I've been slowly working on putting together. You can find Part I. here. Please keep in mind that these are all official NTSC Region 1 DVDs originally released between 1960 and 1979 and the numerical order means absolutely nothing except … Continue reading Favorite DVD Releases of 2006 – Part II.
