George D. Allen
George produces Movie Irv's videos for the MovieFanFare blog, as well as his regular "Ghouly Irv" appearances on the Movies Unlimited page at the new Famous Monsters of Filmland website.
George D.'s Posts
George D. Allen and Irv Slifkin | Movie Buzz, Movie Buzz Podcast
Pack your bags and prepare to join Ghouly Irv for a terrifying tour through some of filmdom's most frightening places! We all know how scary it is to take a shower. We know the water can be a horrible hazard...just when you thought it was safe. But there are a few other locales that reliably give film fans the willies:
Ladies and gentlemonsters, don't forget to catch up on some of the monster-lovin' fun you may have missed with Invasion of Terror-ific Trivia and other great videos from Irv and friends!
George D. Allen | Staff Notes
With vampires all the rage and a cinema smitten with mind-bending narratives built around the generic staple of the “unreliable narrator,” what better time is there to have a look at Czech director Jaromil Jires’ provocative 1970 cult film Valerie and Her Week of Wonders?
First coming to the world’s attention with his 1963 debut feature The Cry (exhibited at Cannes), a film of documentary realism and social criticism that displeased his native government, Jires found his talents put on hold as Czechoslovakia’s state-supported film industry turned down script after script he subsequently submitted for production. It wasn’t until 1968 that Jires reappeared on the scene with The Joke, adapted from the novel by Milan Kundera as an ambitious drama attacking totalitarianism.
I’ve yet to see either of those films, but based on what I discovered with Valerie, I’d be eager to explore more of his works. While Jires is typically noted as one of the earliest directors associated with the movement known as the Czech New Wave, it’s fair to say he should also be more popularly recognized for creating this truly unique film that should be spotlighted in any history of 1970s horror.
George D. Allen | Staff Notes
Roger Moore once described his approach to the part of James Bond by remarking that 007 was a fellow who didn’t like killing, but was glad he did it well. Moore’s outings as the debonair superspy, for the most part, are more concerned with pure entertainment and humorous escapism than any of the series’ entries before or since. That may be a source of disappointment to some Bond purists who revere the character's literary heritage, but it’s no accident that the oft-quoted tagline “nobody does it better” originated smack in the middle of the Moore era.
George D. Allen | Staff Notes
Uganda's film industry is growing. Here's a report on how the democratization of filmmaking technology is helping the nation's aspiring film artists make their own stories:
This is great news, because for every quality picture like General Idi Amin Dada and The Last King of Scotland, there's always an Amin! The Rise and Fall (guilty pleasure though it may be) to tip the scales of movies about the country back down. Not to mention the fact that there simply have to be other stories about Uganda to be told than just sordid recountings of Amin's grotesque rule. And, if Hollywood proves less than interested in these stories, it's good to see the power to tell them taking shape from within.
George D. Allen | Staff Notes
unpublished screenplays from the Universal Monsters era
Did you somehow miss this amazing sequel to Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man? Who could ever forget The Wolf Man vs. Dracula, the Technicolor square-off between Bela Lugosi’s villainous vampire and Lon Chaney, Jr.’s, hirsute antihero? You don’t remember it? Of course not, because it never existed. But, it almost did!
Welcome to “An Alternate History for Classic Film Monsters,” a wonderful series of previously unpublished screenplays from the Universal Monsters era. Curated by Philip J. Riley (Count Dracula Society award winner and inductee into the Universal Horror Hall of Fame), this collection of newly dug up scripts offers any devoted monster fan who’s “seen ‘em all” a special opportunity indeed of seeing some classic chiller movies that might have been.
George D. Allen and Irv Slifkin | Movie Buzz, Movie Buzz Podcast
Who goes there? Why, none other than Ghouly Irv, back to review another 10 years of terror! Which decade will the Weird Wheel dictate to be worth your attention? Tune in for another round of trivia with your humble horror host:
Never fear, fans of the fiendish! If you missed the Ghouly One's appraisals of the 1980s and the 1940s, or his charming romp through kid-themed fright flicks (with two very special guest stars), you need only click Pieces of Terror-ific Trivia, House of Terror-ific Trivia, or Ghouly Kids, and the malevolent mirth can continue!
George D. Allen | Staff Notes
There are Star Wars people, and Star Trek people. Some people dig Bugs Bunny; others love Mickey Mouse. There’s DC folks, and those who Make Theirs Marvel. There’s the “boxers” crowd…and the “briefs” bunch. Red states. Blue states. You may have heated debates over any (or none) of these ways of seeing the world, but most of the time, the stakes of these discussions aren’t as very high as they might initially seem.
There are those who think humanity is worth preserving, and those who believe we ought to self-destruct our way back into a feral wasteland. That’s the discussion that takes place in Irwin Allen’s first live-action feature film, The Story of Mankind.
And that discussion is a hoot and a half!
George D. Allen | Staff Notes
One of the fringe benefits of producing Ghouly Irv’s MovieFrightFare videos is how often I can wax nostalgic—both inside my head and occasionally by way of little nods in our programs—about Dr. Shock.
Remember Dr. Shock? If you’re a monsterfan of a considerably younger vintage, or if you grew up outside the Philadelphia area, you may have no recollection at all of television “horror host” Joseph Zawislak (the Doctor’s “real” name). He was one of my local region’s most beloved TV personalities from 1970-79—the period of time also known as the pre-home-video era, also known as the time of great hardships, when you could see your favorite fear films only when they were broadcast on television. Zawislak, a former stage magician, adopted--some may say inhabited--the creepy doc's skin after being inspired by the success of John Zacherle’s popular “Roland” character.
George D. Allen and Irv Slifkin | Movie Buzz, Movie Buzz Podcast
Bad boys, bad boys, what'cha gonna do...when the MovieFanFare cameras spot you chatting idly about your favorite heist films? Check out the two would-be video thieves we caught with their pants down (figuratively speaking, of course), and see if you agree with their picks for the best movies about making big scores:
Why did two such insightful movie fans turn to a life of crime? I guess they figured their gigs with Movie Geeks Roadshow and picking the best Offbeat Christmas Movies didn't pay so well. They have voluntarily entered a program of rehabilitation.
George D. Allen | Staff Notes
Searching for the “perfect moment” to post my appraisal of Jonathan Demme’s 1987 filming of the Spalding Gray monologue Swimming to Cambodia was bound to be frustrating.
The film hasn’t been available on DVD for some time; And Everything Is Going Fine, Steven Soderbergh’s “eulogy” to the late Gray--who died of an apparent suicide in 2004-- premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in January of this year but has yet to obtain a larger release date; and, of the three installments in my “talking” pictures miniseries (Part 1 was about My Dinner with Andre; Part 2 concerned Oliver Stone’s Talk Radio), this concluding post was destined to be the most difficult in any event: Demme and Gray’s film is emotionally full (and full of life) to begin with, and one can’t write about it these days without at least mentioning the circumstances of Gray’s death, a sad event made even worse as it was seemingly brought about by his own choosing.
George D. Allen and Irv Slifkin | Movie Buzz, Movie Buzz Podcast
Whether you're 14 years old or 40, you might be wondering what your box/room/house-ful of Godzilla toys is worth on the open market. While no (serious) answers are provided here, you'll still want to check out this satirical appraisal, where master of geek-tastic Gojira (Create-A-Caption) lore Brian Burkart helps his hapless guest discern the true value of these dolls...that is, "action figures"...or is it "collectibles" these days?
And if that isn't enough Godzilla goodness for you...contemplate the love of your favorite city-stomping gorilla/whale by meditating on these Godzilla Haiku. (Spotted at The Daily Dish via Ezra Klein of The Washington Post)
George D. Allen | Staff Notes
It’s nothing all that spectacular to make a case that Sean Connery was “the best” James Bond. Anyone can do it. In fact, most everyone who is a die-hard Bond fan, at one time or another, has done it. Scan over the comments made on the first part of this series that covered Connery’s tenure—you’ll see there are few surprises. A lot of people think Sean Connery IS James Bond. Wasn’t there even a slogan to that effect? (Answer: Yes.)
Do people accord him this adulation because he was the “first” to play Bond? Because he wasn’t the first, of course. Anyway, if “firsts” were automatically the best, we’d all be talking about how Elmo Lincoln was the untoppable Tarzan, Charles Ogle the finest Frankenstein’s Monster, and Maurice Costello the elementary choice as the screen’s most scintillating Sherlock Holmes. Did Barry Nelson really give the definitive 007 performance in the “Climax!” broadcast of Casino Royale?
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