September, 2010 Archive
Chris Cummins | '70s Flashback
On this installment of '70s Flashback, we'll be focusing on the 1973 classic Westworld. Written and directed by Michael Crichton, the film stars Richard Benjamin and James Brolin as two pals who take a trip to the adult-oriented amusement park Delos. Separated into Westworld, Medieval World and Roman World, the destination allows visitors to stay in one of the three time periods represented at the park. After a brief voyage (via hovercraft, how 70s!), vacationers find themselves interacting with lifelike androids while indulging their every whim. But before you can say "tourist trap," something goes wrong. Suddenly, Westworld visitors Benjamin and Brolin put aside their plans of sleeping with robot prostitutes and enjoying life on the range to discover how wild the Wild West can be as a relentless robot (Yul Brynner) stalks them. Excitement, chaos, death and Dick Van Patten ensue.
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Fred Burdsall | Staff Notes
I know I said I was going to foam at the mouth about the Cinema God known as Roger Corman this month, but it's my column and I changed my mind. We'll talk Corman next month or two.
August 20-22 saw the 15th Monster-Mania Con take place at the Crowne Hotel in Cherry Hill, NJ. There are several around the NE portion of the US held under this name and in March and August they hit NJ and attract any number of sci-fi and horror fans all looking for that elusive big name autograph or, in my case, the not so big names. I love the chance to talk to the stars one on one, since the HUGE names never afford you that opportunity because they are the main focus and draw the fullest lines. If you want to meet up with unnamed "victim number four" in Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning, however, this is usually your chance.
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guest-blogs | FanFare Guests
Guest contributor Victoria Balloon writes:
Like so many others, I first saw Debbie Reynolds in Singin' in the Rain. She later said of the experience, "Singin' in the Rain and childbirth were the hardest things I ever had to do in my life." You never would have guessed it from watching the film. Sandwiched between the highly acclaimed dancers Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor, the five foot two inch Debbie Reynolds sang, smiled, and held her own, winning America's hearts.
Debbie began life as Mary Frances Reynolds, born April 1, 1932 in El Paso, Texas. She grew up in Burbank, CA as a tomboy among eight boys - a brother, four uncles and three cousins. She was a cut-up and a clown who entertained family and friends with imitations of radio personalities, and she admired the exuberant comedic talent of Betty Hutton.
In 1948 she won the Miss Burbank contest, and at 16 got a contract with Warner Bros. Talent executive William Orr changed her name to "Debbie," but she would not let anyone change her last name, and for a year she refused even to answer to Debbie. She made two pictures with Warner Bros. - The June Bride (uncredited) and The Daughter Of Rosie O'Grady - but Warners didn't seem to know what to do with her and let her go.
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Chris Cummins | New Releases This Week
Movies! TV shows! You want em, we've got em! There's some great stuff dropping this week, so let's get right into it. Here's what new DVD and Blu-ray releases are now available.
Robin Hood
The early exploits of Robin Hood are chronicled in this adventure starring Russell Crowe as the famed outlaw hero. After fighting in the Third Crusade with his associates, Robin travels to Nottingham to deliver a dead knight's sword to his father. Upon discovering a plot by France to invade England, he poses as the deceased man and squares off against the new king and a scheming Frenchman--encountering the beautiful Lady Marion along the way. With Cate Blanchett, Max von Sydow, William Hurt; directed by Ridley Scott.
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Jason Marcewicz | Create-A-Caption
You know the drill. Below is a classic movie photo with Jason’s caption.
You’re encouraged to leave your own suggestion in the comment section below!
Clearly uncomfortable and avoiding eye contact
is how everybody awaits their STD results from the public clinic.
guest-blogs | FanFare Guests
Guest blogger Raculfright 13 writes:
Since the remake of Nightmare on Elm Street was recently released, I decided to review the original Wes Craven version of the film. Well, let's start off with some of my thoughts on it--this is probably the best 80s horror movie ever.
Oh sure there's tons of great horror movies from the decade, but to me this one stands out the most. That's because it has almost everything you can ask for in a fright flick: cute chicks, dumb guys, blood and gore, sick comedic moments and a killer that will forever haunt you no matter what. Freddy Krueger is way better than Jason in so many ways but I'll get to that comparison someday...
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Jay Steinberg | This Week in Film History
September 19, 1915: Vaudeville star W.C. Fields brings his famed pool-playing routine to the screen in Pool Sharks, his film debut.
September 21, 1927: MGM's iconic lion Leo uses up one of his nine lives when he survives the crash of his L.A.-New York publicity flight in Arizona.
September 23, 1952: Charlie Chaplin, after learning that U.S. immigration will deny his re-entry unless he submits to an inquiry into his moral worth, arrives in London.
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Brian Sieck | Staff Notes
Sure, everyone loves the stunning and talented Diane Lane. What’s not to love? However, who really cares about movies such as Nights in Rodanthe, Must Love Dogs and Under the Tuscan Sun? (Though, I will say I kind of liked Unfaithful, which netted her an Oscar nomination. The snow globe scene was pretty hardcore, even though it had nothing to do with Lane). The Diane Lane that I know and love is the young and vibrant actress who set the screen ablaze during the ‘80s. Even though she was young, I was younger, and I fondly remember her as one of my first celebrity crushes. So, I figured I would pay tribute to the enduring Lane by focusing on the early days of her career with this humble entry.
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guest-blogs | FanFare Guests
Guest blogger Clara Fercovic writes:
I finally watched Barefoot in the Park starring Jane Fonda and Robert Redford. Based on Neil Simon's play, the movie is about a girl --hereafter referred to as "The Kook"-- who marries a kind of serious lawyer and then regrets it because he's so solemn and she's such a free spirit. OK? The Kook is really hyperventilating in every scene, being all over Redford every second, jumping and running, being friendly with everyone, going out with strangers, renting the smallest apartment ever and setting blind dates for her mom with an eccentric neighbor who she just met--don''t worry, he's Charles Boyer. To sum up, she's on the ball for 106 minutes (we have the same idiom in Chile, "estar arriba de la pelota").
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George D. Allen | Movie Buzz, Movie Buzz Podcast
Fear fans: quick, what's your favorite horror movie ever? Your favorite star of the shuddery silver screen? Your favorite decade of dread? For many monster fans, those questions can be a little difficult...because we love 'em all! One thing's for certain, though: most devotees of shriek cinema agreee that the 10 years we're about to peruse in this installment of MovieFrightFare are some of the greatest of all time! Turn out the lights and get ready for the ghouly fun:
Have you missed your humble horror host's most recent crawls across the web? Catch up with Oh, The Ghouly Places You'll Go and Invasion of Terror-ific Trivia!
George D. Allen | Staff Notes
You know someone—or at least you know someone who knows someone—who saw a movie in the theater in excess of two times. Maybe in excess of 10 times. I know someone who paid full price for Superman over 20 times during its original theatrical run. (See if you agree with us about its status in the comic movies pantheon) I was too young then to see movies over and over on my own, and my parents would have never indulged me had I wished to take things to those extremes.
I bring up the subject of repeat viewings because the topic came to mind as I prepared to go back to Pandora for Avatar: Special Edition—now with a whopping nine extra minutes. I was about to shell out considerable coin to see it in 3-D IMAX again as a favor to a friend who had missed it the first time around. Avatar sat somewhere in the middle of my “Top 10 of the Year,” but as the hour drew near to make that big investment of time, a nagging thought came: Am I too old and disinterested for these repeat viewings?
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Tags: Sci-fi movies, Yul Brynner