ANGRY CINEMA: THE BRITISH NEW WAVE

In the late 1950s, Britain was a country in transition. The destruction caused by two world wars remained evident but the economy was booming and unemployment was at an all-time low. Popular music was bringing diverse groups of individuals together and creating a sense of unity among the youth. Despite the overall prosperity, the stark …

THE MANY ROLES OF MICK JAGGER

“The only performance that makes it…that really makes it…that makes it all the way…is the one that achieves madness.” - Turner aka Mick Jagger in Performance (1970) If someone asked me the proverbial question: “The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?” I’d pledge my allegiance to the bad boys of rock and roll in an instant. The first concert …

Culture Clash: RUDE BOY (1980)

“We felt that the whole machine was teetering on the brink of collapse. Some amazing things went down in Britain during the ’70s—the government decided they could disempower the unions by having a three-day week, for instance. Can you imagine that? … There were garbage strikes, train strikes, power strikes, the lights were going out—everything …

An 80s Pop Music Extravaganza: Absolute Beginners (1986)

I recently wrote about the often overlooked 1980s pop music extravaganza ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS (1986) for The Cultural Gutter. The film has grown on me a lot over the years thanks to a central performance by the one and only David Bowie and a a growing respect for what (I believe) director Julien Temple was trying …

January at the Movie Morlocks

Had planned on posting this a few weeks ago but it slipped my mind. Still trying to get back into the swing of things around here. What follows is a list of my January posts for TCM's Movie Morlocks blog: - Peter O’Toole: A Hellraiser Remembered Excerpt: "I can’t speak for my fellow Morlocks but …

In Celebration: Elvis Presley at 79

Today is January 8th and it would have been Elvis Presley's 79th birthday if he was still with us. I often spend this day listening to my favorite Elvis albums so today I thought I'd share 5 of my favorite Elvis songs from 5 of my favorite Elvis movies. Enjoy! "Jailhouse Rock" - from JAILHOUSE …

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, …

Winter A Go-Go (1965)

Linda Rogers in a promo shot from WINTER A GO-GO (1965) It's cold outside and like a lot of people I've got a case of the post holiday blues but I also have a cure. Make your way over to the TCM Movie Morlocks blog where you can find my latest post titled “Ski Buffs …

KEN RUSSELL: IN HIS OWN WORDS

Controversial film director Ken Russell passed away suddenly this week at the age of 84. Russell has long been considered the bad boy of British cinema or the original ‘enfant terrible’ of the empire, but for almost as long as I can remember he’s been one of my favorite filmmakers. I was introduced to his …

A Light that Never Went Out: The MTV Legacy of Derek Jarman

One of the most fascinating and overlooked aspects of Derek Jarman’s impressive filmmaking career is his collaborative work with musical artists. These projects materialized as experimental short films as well as music promo videos that regularly aired on MTV throughout the 1980s. Jarman appreciated the money he made directing videos but he wasn’t particularly happy …

Velvet Goldmine: Celluloid Pictures of Living

"Histories, like ancient ruins, are the fictions of empire. While everything forgotten hangs in dark dreams of the past, ever threatening to return.” - Todd Haynes, Velvet Goldmine When Velvet Goldmine was originally released in 1998 it confused and frustrated a lot of critics who were turned off by its uninhibited style, hyper editing, abundant …

Shammi Kapoor 1931-2011

From India comes the sad news that the beloved Bollywood star Shammi Kapoor has died at age 79 due to kidney failure. Kapoor has been called the "Bollywood Elvis" and his films helped define the swinging sixties in India. I've only seen a few of the movies that Shammi Kapoor appeared in but An Evening …

Celebrating Father’s Day

Steve McQueen in THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963) Me and my dad (1972) From my latest at the Movie Morlocks: "I recently became an aunt again so I’ve been thinking a lot about family lately and with Father’s Day right around the corner I thought I’d share some thoughts about my own dad and how the …

Vincente Minnelli’s Metaphysical Musical

Barbra Streisand in On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) Last week I had planned on writing about some romantic films in honor of Valentine's Day but I never got around to it. I'm still fighting off that cold bug but this week I decided to share some thoughts about one of my …

Chase Away the Winter Blues with Ski Party

Frankie Avalon and Deborah Walley in Ski Party (1965) Happy New Year! Last week I took a much needed net break but I did manage to post my weekly Movie Morlocks update about a fun-filled '60s teen musical comedy called Ski Party (1965). If you're looking for a silly '60s movie to watch during the …