Who doesn’t like Michael Caine? It’s hard to imagine that there are any film fanatics alive who don’t appreciate at least one or two of the 123 films that he’s appeared in. I happen to love the bespectacled British actor and today TCM will be airing a batch of films he appeared in as part … Continue reading A FEW FUN FACTS ABOUT MICHAEL CAINE
A Look Back & What’s Ahead in 2019
This month marks what would have been my 9-year anniversary working with Turner Classic Movies but after much thought & consideration, I decided to end my working relationship with them. Although the Movie Morlocks blog has been shuttered, I occasionally wrote for the TCM.com website and created promotional materials for the TCM Wine Club but … Continue reading A Look Back & What’s Ahead in 2019
Plucking the Petals of Masahiro Shinoda’s Pale Flower (1964)
“Tokyo… After three long years. It makes my head spin. Just look at it. Why so many people crammed into tiny cage-like boxes? People… Such strange animals. What keeps them all going? They look like they’re half dead. Making a frantic pretense of being alive. What was so wrong about killing one of these stupid … Continue reading Plucking the Petals of Masahiro Shinoda’s Pale Flower (1964)
JOAN BENNETT: FRITZ LANG’S MUSE
Joan Bennett got her start in Hollywood as a lovely, demure, fair-haired ingénue but made her mark as a sexy, feisty, dark-haired femme fatale. Her transformation was atypical in Tinseltown where many natural brunettes such as Carole Lombard, Lana Turner, Marilyn Monroe, and Jayne Mansfield, found success after becoming bottle blonds. Bennett’s makeover happened during … Continue reading JOAN BENNETT: FRITZ LANG’S MUSE
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 … Continue reading SEDUCED BY PIERRE CLÉMENTI
Six Months of Movie Morlocks: May – Oct. 2016
It's been an interesting, busy and to be honest, an extremely stressful year due to some ongoing medical issues I'm dealing with that you can read more about here: Vertigo: Hitchcock was wrong. In turn, I've been terribly lax about updating the blog but due to looming work related developments that I'll be sharing soon, … Continue reading Six Months of Movie Morlocks: May – Oct. 2016
Sept. & Oct. at The Movie Morlocks
It's that time again. Time to collect & share links to the writing I've published on TCM's Movie Morlocks blog in the past few months. In September I spent a lot of time obsessing over TCM Star of the Month Susan Hayward. I reference her in at least three of the pieces I wrote that … Continue reading Sept. & Oct. at The Movie Morlocks
WINE & WOLVES: THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF (1961)
I can’t let Halloween pass without talking about a Hammer film. They go hand-to-hand in my home and one of my favorites is Terence Fisher’s The Curse of the Werewolf (1961). The film features some sumptuous color photography, incredibly sophisticated make-up effects for its time and a powerful central performance from Oliver Reed. It also happens … Continue reading WINE & WOLVES: THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF (1961)
FATAL CHARM: CAST A DARK SHADOW (1955)
On Monday, October 12th TCM is airing a batch of suspenseful films focusing on “Treacherous Spouses.” Most critics wouldn’t classify any of these films as horror but some of them contain genuinely horrific moments. The impressive line-up includes Experiment Perilous (1944), Suspicion (1941), Strangers on a Train (1951), Dial M for Murder (1954), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) Elevator to the Gallows (1958) and the day’s … Continue reading FATAL CHARM: CAST A DARK SHADOW (1955)
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
Celebrating Gay Pride
As a film journalist I have often tried to focus my attention on underappreciated films, actors and directors. Unsurprisingly, this has led me to write about a number of gay/LGBT films as well as gay/LGBT filmmakers and actors. So in celebration of Gay Pride weekend and the Supreme Court decision that now makes gay-marriage a … Continue reading Celebrating Gay Pride
December at the Movie Morlocks
Links to my December 2014 posts at the TCM's Movie Morlocks: Holiday Greetings from The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come! Excerpt: "Dickens’ novella was first conceived as a political pamphlet designed to arouse the public’s compassion for the plight of the poor but to his credit, the writer realized his strength was in storytelling … Continue reading December at the Movie Morlocks
