News

A band of rabbits must leave their warren to find safety in a film that, even in a digital age, still has the bloody force to scare young minds

‘The field … it’s covered in blood!” This is the young visionary rabbit Fiver, voiced by Richard Briers, in the British animation from 1978 by Martin Rosen, based on Richard Adams’s classic children’s book. The rabbits’ warren, quite as important as Tolkien’s shire, is about to be destroyed by a property development, announced by the humans’ heartless wooden sign, which of course none of the rabbits can read, but twitchy, squirming Fiver can sense the disaster it represents.

So his brother Hazel (voiced by John Hurt) leads Fiver and a breakaway gang on a quest for safety to far-off Watership Down, a rumoured place of sanctuary foreseen by Fiver; they include hot-headed Bigwig (Michael Graham Cox) and later the...

Courtesy of StudioCanal

by James Cameron-wilson

An Inspector Calls, freshly minted with a pristine print of pin-sharp clarity, was originally written as a play by J.B. Priestley and remains a damning indictment of England’s hypocritical upper middle-classes. Set in 1912 in the north Midlands, the play premiered in 1945 in Moscow of all places, before coming to London a year later and to Broadway a year after that. I can’t tell you who was in the Russian version, but in the West End the titular character was taken by Sir Ralph Richardson, with Margaret Leighton, Harry Andrews and, in the Bryan Forbes part, none other than Alec Guinness. Imagine seeing that bunch on the London stage! I say the Bryan Forbes part, as it was he who had one of his best roles as Eric Birling in the 1954 film, running the gamut from embarrassing drunk to tipsy flirt to indignant...

Millicent Martin and Denholm Elliott also star in Clive Donner’s 1964 satire on class, filled with macabre twists

There is some addictive raffishness and raciness in this 1964 British black-comedy satire for which screenwriter Frederic Raphael adapts a short story by American mystery writer Stanley Ellin; Clive Donner directs with cinematography by Nicolas Roeg. Alan Bates plays a pushy, plausible young fellow called James Brewster, employed in an upmarket “auctioneer” house – ie estate agent’s – in London’s West End, a firm greedily taking advantage of the construction boom.

Brewster is competent and hardworking but deeply ashamed of his lower-class background and his poor old mum and dad, and suspects he would do much better in the company if he had some patrician polish; his boss Mr Horton (Harry Andrews) is at present more enamoured of his airily entitled colleague Hugh (James Villiers) who is dating Horton’s daughter Ann, played...

Sylvia Syms, the British actress whose body of work stretched back to the 1950s and included roles in Ice Cold in Alex, Victim and The Queen, has died. She was 89.

In a statement to Sky News, her family said she “died peacefully” on Jan. 27 at a London care home for those in the entertainment industry.

“She has lived an amazing life, and gave us joy and laughter right up to the end,” they said. “Just yesterday, we were reminiscing together about all our adventures. She will be so very missed.”

Born in London in 1934, Syms attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and became an almost instant star in her 20s, thanks to major roles in films such as WWII drama and 1958 Berlinale winner Ice Cold in Alex (alongside John Mills, Anthony Quayle and Harry Andrews), English Civil War drama The Moonraker and Expresso Bongo with Cliff Richard.

In 1961, she...

Richard Fleischer’s Biblical epic is a class act all the way, and one of producer Dino De Laurentiis’s greatest accomplishments. Anthony Quinn’s guilty, perplexed bandit survives and subsists but never understands the importance of the man crucified in his place; the view of early Christianity is respectful and free of pious clichés. It’s an excellent image of the ancient world, with gladiator scenes that are possibly the best ever. Fleisher does exceedingly well with the enormous sets and a well-chosen international cast: Ernest Borgnine, Valentina Cortese, Vittorio Gassman, Katy Jurado, Arthur Kennedy, Silvana Mangano, Jack Palance.

Barabbas

Blu-ray

Viavision [Imprint] 132

1961 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 137 min. / Street Date June 29, 2022 / Available from [Imprint] / au 39.95

Starring: Anthony Quinn, Silvana Mangano, Arthur Kennedy, Katy Jurado, Harry Andrews, Vittorio Gassman, Norman Wooland, Valentina Cortese, Jack Palance, Ernest Borgnine, Arnoldo Foa’, Michael Gwynn, Laurence Payne, Douglas Fowley, Robert Hall, Joe Robinson, Friedrich von Ledebur,...

(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)

The Movie: "Watership Down" (1978)

Where You Can Stream It: HBO Max

The Pitch: A young rabbit named Fiver (voiced by Richard Briers) has a vision of impending doom for the rabbit-warren where he resides, the forest near their home running red with blood. Aware his sibling's visions have come true in the past, Fiver's brother Hazel (John Hurt) chooses to defy the orders of his chief, who forbids anyone from leaving their burrow. Leading a group that includes Fiver and several other rabbits, Hazel and his peers brave hawks, cars, human traps, dogs, cats, and tyrannical rabbits known as Efrafans in the hopes of finding a new safe haven at the hill Fiver sees in his mind: Watership Down.

As...

By Lee Pfeiffer

"The Deadly Affair", directed by Sidney Lumet, is the 1967 film based on John Le Carre's 1961 novel "Call for the Dead". Le Carre was riding high during the Bond-inspired Bond phenomenon of the 1960s. Unlike the surrealistic world of 007, Le Carre's books formed the basis for gritty and gloomy espionage stories that were steeped in realism and cynicism. The film adaptation of Le Carre's "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" had been released the previous year to great acclaim. Lumet, who made "The Deadly Affair" for his own production company, rounded up top flight British talent including screenwriter Paul Dehn, who had written the film adaptation of "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" and  co-wrote the screenplay for "Goldfinger".

As with all Le Carre film adaptations, the plot is complex to the point of being confusing. There are many intriguing characters of dubious allegiance to one another,...

Hello, everyone! We have a brand new assortment of horror and sci-fi headed home this week, and there are plenty of offerings that should undoubtedly make for great additions to your Halloween season viewing plans. Universal is showing some love to a trio of classics, as it is set to release John Carpenter’s The Thing as well as Rear Window and Vertigo from Alfred Hitchcock all on 4K Ultra HD today. Kino Lorber has put together new Blu-ray presentations for both The Tomb of Ligeia and Theatre of Blood, and if you’re looking to catch up with some newer horror, both Great White and Slaxx arrive today courtesy of Rlje Films.

Other Blu-ray and DVD releases for September 7th include Lawnmower Man 2: Jobe’s War, Hellbox, Witches of Blackwood, Skinwalker, and War of the God Monsters.

Great White

A blissful tourist trip turns into a nightmare for five...

By Tim McGlynn

“I am I, Don Quioxte, the man of La Mancha!”

Shout! Factory has released the 1973 film version of Broadway’s hit musical Man of La Mancha. Directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Peter O’ Toole, Sophia Loren and James Coco, this was United Artists’ follow-up to their hugely successful film version of Fiddler on the Roof. It was also one of the last of the roadshow attractions to play across the country. In the Chicago area, where I grew up, this meant a reserved seat engagement at the famed McClurg Court Theater.

Based on author Dale Wasserman’s stage hit, Man of La Mancha, and featuring music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion, itt starred the great Richard Kiley in the role of Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. Well-received by audiences at the time, the show won the 1965 Tony Award for Best Musical.

Mitch Leigh...

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By Tim McGlynn

During the pre-video/broadcast television era of the mid-seventies, college campuses were teeming with movie offerings on a weekly basis. It was the only way to see older theatrical titles in their uncensored form. My own experience at the University of Illinois provided 8 to 10 films per weekend with recent Hollywood hits, classic revivals and the occasional porn flick being the usual choices. Lecture halls, auditoriums and even church sanctuaries were converted to temporary cinemas that offered a cornucopia in 16mm. These were quality exhibitions with twin projectors, external speakers for clear dialogue and anamorphic lenses when needed. It seemed a little odd that one could view a somewhat racy movie in the same space that would be used for worship the next morning. I would often take in several titles on Friday and Saturday nights for the bargain price of...

Well, it’s been a week now and I still haven’t got over it. Even the most chaotic Presidential Election in living memory hasn’t managed to distract me from the pressing melancholy – as absurd as it feels to say it out loud…we are no longer living on the same planet as Sean Connery.

It’s not that he was suddenly struck down in the prime of life (90 years of age is a good haul for anyone), it’s just that Connery, along with the rarified likes of Michael Caine and Clint Eastwood, carried an air of genuine immortality. He even played an immortal in Highlander and the fact that he was wearing a coat made of peacock feathers at the time, didn’t make it feel any less plausible.

Perhaps, like his aforementioned peers, it’s the fact that his vitality never withered away like so many...

“He moved like a panther.” This was the observation which convinced producers Albert R “Cubby” Broccoli and Harry Saltzman to cast Sean Connery, a relatively unknown young actor from Edinburgh, in the lead role of the first James Bond picture, 1962’s Dr No. It was this decision which was to forever change the face of movie stardom and blockbuster film-making. The choice was not, initially, a popular one with 007 author Ian Fleming; where his books had imagined Bond as the archetypal upper-class English gentleman, the gruff Scottish Connery brought a transatlantic insouciance and a palpably working-class edge to the role. In the process, he had invented the modern action hero.

Within a few short years, Connery had been cemented as an international sex symbol and propelled to unprecedented heights of celebrity. He later said of the relentless pursuit by fans and the press, “the only comparison would be The Beatles,...

TV’s 1979 Titanic movie comes to Blu in two versions. We liked it when new but didn’t care for the cut-down theatrical version that hit DVD in 2002. Kino’s disc completes a set of various film versions of the infamous 1912 disaster, and allows us the chance for a Titanic ‘battle of the bands’ — we’ll rate them from several criteria. The filmed-in-England production has a nicely-chosen soap opera cast: David Janssen, Cloris Leachman, Ian Holm, Helen Mirren, Anna Quayle, David Warner, Susan Saint James, Harry Andrews.

S.O.S. Titanic

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1979 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 102 + 144 min. / Street Date October 13, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95

Starring: David Janssen, Cloris Leachman, Ian Holm, Helen Mirren, Anna Quayle, David Warner, Timothy Spall, Susan Saint James, Harry Andrews, Ed Bishop, Jerry Hauser, Aubrey Morris, Norman Rossington, Catherine Byrne, Warren Clarke, Madge Ryan.

Cinematography: Christopher Challis

Film Editor: Rusty Coppleman

Original Music: Howard Blake

Special effects: Wally Veevers,...

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By Doug Oswald

Michael Caine plays a British Petroleum engineer on loan to the army during WWII and assigned to British controlled North Africa. He’s drafted to lead a group of disparate men on a mission behind enemy lines to destroy a German coastal fuel depot in “Play Dirty” available on Blu-ray by Twilight Time. Playing chess while supervising the transfer of fuel from British ships to coastal fuel storage tanks, Captain Douglas (Caine) is ordered to report to Colonel Homerton (Bernard Archard) who transfers him to the special services unit commanded by Brigadier General Blore (Harry Andrews). He’s to lead a group of men under the command of Colonel Masters (Nigel Green) including Captain Cyril Leech (Nigel Davenport), a former prisoner who uses other criminals in his missions against the Germans. When Douglas reminds the general he’s...

Join Cinema St. Louis Executive Director Cliff Froehlich in their new collaboration with Shakespeare Festival St. Louis to present Shakespeare & Chill. Every Wednesday at 8pm Cliff will moderate 20-30 minute panel discussion of a Shakespeare-related movie conversations between Shakespeare aficionados and industry professionals. Stay tuned to the Cinema St. Louis Facebook page for updates on the event!

A discussion of the 1973 classic Vincent Price film Theatre Of Blood will take place between Cliff and Shakespeare and Vincent Price enthusiasts Chris Limber, Ben Ritchie, Kevin Townley, and We Are Movie Geeks own Tom Stockman Facebook on Wednesday May 13th at 8Pm. The discussion will post on the Cinema St. Louis and Shakespeare Festival St. Louis Facebook pages.

In the early 1970’s Vincent Price’s career was at a high point. The Doctor Phibes films were unexpected hits. How would he capitalize on these? In 1973 he took on a role in a...

England’s swingin’ ’60s were more than A Hard Day’s Night, the Mersey Beat and slapstick in the street with Rita Tushingham. Michael Winner got the scene off to an early start with this beach-set tale of ‘clever lads’ that cooperate to score with vacationing girls. Oliver Reed gives a sterling performance as Tinker, a photo-snapper who takes on a tall target — an independent, posh model with her own amorous agenda. The romance proceeds in a positive direction… or is Tinker fooling himself?

The System (The Girl-Getters)

Blu-ray

Powerhouse Indicator

1964 / B&w / 1:85 / 90 min. / / Street Date September 23, 2019 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99

Starring: Oliver Reed, Jane Merrow, Barbara Ferris, Julia Foster, Harry Andrews, Ann Lynn, Guy Doleman, David Hemmings.

Cinematography: Nicholas Roeg

Film Editor: Fred Burnley

Original Music: Stanley Black

Songs: The Searchers, The Marauders, The Rocking Berries

Written by Peter Draper

Produced by Kenneth Shipman

Directed by Michael...

May 7th is a relatively quiet day of genre-related Blu-ray and DVD releases, so I’ll keep this installment of our ongoing home media column series on the short and sweet side. If you dig creepy kid horror and you happened to miss it in theaters earlier this year, Nicholas McCarthy’s The Prodigy comes home on Tuesday, and for those of you who might be more into nunsploitation stories, St. Agatha is set to arrive on both formats this week. Cult film fans can finally add The Nightcomers and The Man Who Haunted Himself (featuring Roger Moore) to their Blu-ray collections, and Hellboy II: The Golden Army is making its 4K debut on May 7th as well.

The Nightcomers

Two Children… Two Adults… One Unspeakable Crime! Captivating and disturbing, this highly intense psychological drama with its haunting, twisted notion of sexuality puts a new spin on the characters from Henry James’ celebrated ghost story,...

Tfe will be periodically looking back at the 1972 film year before we hit the Supporting Actress Smackdown at month's end. Here's Anna from Defiant Success

Adapted from the play of the same name by Peter Barnes (who also serves the film’s writer), Peter Medak’s The Ruling Class establishes its bizarre nature early on. The plot kicks off after Ralph Gurney, the 13th Earl of Gurney (Harry Andrews) accidentally hangs himself while performing autoerotic asphyxiation. Upon his death, his only surviving son Jack (Peter O’Toole) becomes the 14th Earl of Gurney. One problem with this new arrangement: Jack firmly believes that he’s Jesus Christ...

The upcoming BBC adaption of the children’s classic “Watership Down” ain’t no fluffy tale.

Voiced by John Boyega, James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, Olivia Colman, Ben Kingsley, Gemma Arterton, Daniel Kaluuya, Rosamund Pike, Gemma Chan, Peter Capaldi and Taron Egerton, this daring band of bunnies must join together to battle dark forces in order to survive.

The four-part BBC series follows a group of rabbits who flee their warren to escape destruction. On their journey to find a new home, they face vicious predators predicted by terrifying visions from an all-seeing seer named Fiver (Hoult).

Also Read: Richard Adams, 'Watership Down' Author, Dies at 96

“All the world will be your enemy,” one rabbit warns in the first trailer released Tuesday. “And when they catch you, they will kill you — but first, they must catch you.”

“This isn’t about cute rabbits,” Boyega, who voices Bigwig, warned on Instagram last week.

Reportedly the biggest-budgeted and most widely released Bollywood production ever, “Thugs of Hindostan” is an exuberantly excessive masala of swashbuckling heroics, broader-than-broad comedy, propulsively choreographed action, and raucously caffeinated song-and-dance sequences. Writer-director Vijay Krishna Acharya, a creative force behind the popular “Dhoom” movies, has borrowed freely from Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean,” even to the point of having Indian superstar Aamir Khan often come across as a smudged carbon of Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow while playing a similarly unreliable rogue. But for all its recycled elements and predictable narrative stratagems, this diverting Diwali-timed extravaganza stands on its own merits as a lightly satisfying popcorn epic — provided, of course, you have a taste for such over-the-top amusement.

During the darkly majestic opening scenes — set in 1795, when the Indian subcontinent was known as Hindostan — Acharya provides the impetus for a tale of rebellion, revenge, and redemption as members of a...

On July 25, 1973, Warner Bros.' Paul Newman thriller The Mackintosh Man opened in New York at Loews theaters. The Hollywood Reporter's original review is below: 

The Mackintosh Man, produced by John Foreman and directed by John Huston, is a good genre film in the ice cold vein of The Maltese Falcon. It isn't nearly as rich nor fine as that early Huston classic but tells an interesting story with a sure sense of atmosphere, location and supporting characters. 

Paul Newman plays an American who appears to be an international jewel thief betrayed by his employer Harry Andrews ...

On July 25, 1973, Warner Bros.' Paul Newman thriller The Mackintosh Man opened in New York at Loews theaters. The Hollywood Reporter's original review is below: 

The Mackintosh Man, produced by John Foreman and directed by John Huston, is a good genre film in the ice cold vein of The Maltese Falcon. It isn't nearly as rich nor fine as that early Huston classic but tells an interesting story with a sure sense of atmosphere, location and supporting characters. 

Paul Newman plays an American who appears to be an international jewel thief betrayed by his employer Harry Andrews ...

In a war film, what’s the difference between nasty exploitation and just plain honest reportage? André De Toth made tough-minded action films with the best of them, and this nail-biting commando mission with Michael Caine and Nigel Davenport is simply superb, one of those great action pictures that’s not widely screened. To its credit it’s not ‘feel good’ enough to be suitable for Memorial Day TV marathons.

Play Dirty

Blu-ray

Twilight Time

1968 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 118 min. / Street Date October 17, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95

Starring: Michael Caine, Nigel Davenport, Nigel Green, Harry Andrews.

Cinematography: Edward Scaife

Film Editor: Jack Slade

Art Direction: Tom Morahan, Maurice Pelling

Original Music: Michel Legrand

Written by Lotte Colin, Melvyn Bragg, from a story by George Marton

Produced by Harry Saltzman

Directed by André De Toth

Some movies that were ignored when new now seem far more important, perhaps due to the tenor of times.

I guess there are plenty of adults now too young to remember when Christopher Reeve made his debut as The Man of Steel. It was a massive hit across the full spectrum of moviegoers. Warners is taking good care of everyone’s favorite undocumented visitor from Planet Krypton, and has assembled two separate cuts of his big-screen premiere.

Superman: The Movie

Blu-ray

2-Film Collection

Warner Bros.

1978 / Color / 2:40 widescreen / 188 min. Extended Cut + 151 min. Special Edition orig. 143 min. / Street Date October 10, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99

Starring: Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Glenn Ford, Trevor Howard, Margot Kidder, Jack O’Halloran, Valerie Perrine, Maria Schell, Terence Stamp, Phyllis Thaxter, Susannah York, Jeff East, Marc McClure, Sarah Douglas, Harry Andrews, Diane Sherry, Randy Jurgensen, Larry Hagman, John Ratzenberger, Kirk Alyn, Noel Neill.

Cinematography: Geoffrey Unsworth

Film Editors: Stuart Baird, Michael Ellis

Production Design: John Barry

Assistant Director: Vincent Winter...

(See previous post: Fourth of July Movies: Escapism During a Weird Year.) On the evening of the Fourth of July, besides fireworks, fire hazards, and Yankee Doodle Dandy, if you're watching TCM in the U.S. and Canada, there's the following: Peter H. Hunt's 1776 (1972), a largely forgotten film musical based on the Broadway hit with music by Sherman Edwards. William Daniels, who was recently on TCM talking about 1776 and a couple of other movies (A Thousand Clowns, Dodsworth), has one of the key roles as John Adams. Howard Da Silva, blacklisted for over a decade after being named a communist during the House Un-American Committee hearings of the early 1950s (Robert Taylor was one who mentioned him in his testimony), plays Benjamin Franklin. Ken Howard is Thomas Jefferson, a role he would reprise in John Huston's 1976 short Independence. (In the short, Pat Hingle was cast as John Adams; Eli Wallach was Benjamin Franklin.) Warner...

By Todd Garbarini

The Royal Theatre in Los Angeles will be presenting a 45th anniversary DVD screening of Peter Medak’s 1972 film The Ruling Class. The 154-minute film, which stars Alastair Sim, Arthur Lowe, Caroline Seymour, Coral Browne, Harry Andrews, and Peter O'Toole, will be screened on DVD on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 at 7:00 pm.

Please Note: At press time, director Peter Medak is scheduled to appear in person for a discussion about the film following the screening.

From the press release:

Part of our Anniversary Classics series. For details, visit: laemmle.com/ac.

The Ruling Class (1972)

45th Anniversary Screening

Tuesday, April 25, at 7 Pm at the Royal Theatre

Followed by Q & A with Director Peter Medak

Presented on DVD

This biting black comedy, in the tradition of such British classics as Kind Hearts and Coronets, focuses on a fierce battle for succession within an aristocratic family. Peter O’Toole plays a...

The Internecine Project

Blu-ray

Kino Lorber Classics

1974 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 89 min. / Street Date January 3, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: James Coburn, Lee Grant, Harry Andrews, Ian Hendry, Michael Jayston, Christiane Krüger, Keenan Wynn, Julian Glover.

Cinematography: Geoffrey Unsworth

Film Editor: John Shirley

Original Music: Roy Budd

Written by: Barry Levinson, Jonathan Lynn from a book by Mort W. Elkind

Produced by: Barry Levinson

Directed by Ken Hughes

Don’t let the ugly Italian poster art on the disc box throw you — The Internecine Project is a clever plot-driven murder tale in an espionage vein that gathers a string of B+ stars from the early 1970s for ninety minutes of suspense. It’s not the kind of suspense that makes you wonder what’s going to happen next, but the kind that points to a finish that we know will employ a big surprise, a killer-diller last-minute twist. Or three.

The...

I have a back file of reader notes asking for a Blu-ray for John Huston’s Moby Dick, and more pointedly, wondering what will be done with its strange color scheme. I wasn’t expecting miracles, but this new Twilight Time disc should make the purists happy – it has approximated the film’s original, heavily muted color scheme.

Moby Dick

Blu-ray

Twilight Time

1956 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 116 min. / Street Date November 15, 2016 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95

Starring Gregory Peck, Richard Basehart, Leo Genn, James Robertson Justice,

Harry Andrews, Orson Welles, Bernard Miles, Mervyn Johns, Noel Purcell, Frederick Ledebur

Cinematography Oswald Morris

Art Direction Ralph W. Brinton

Film Editor Russell Lloyd

Original Music Philip Sainton

Writing credits Ray Bradbury and John Huston

Produced and Directed by John Huston

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Talk about a picture with a renewed reputation… in its day John Huston’s Moby Dick was not considered a success,...

Joseph Losey doesn't normally make trendy, lighthearted genre films, and in this SuperSpy epic we find out why -- an impressive production and great music don't compensate for a lack of pace and dynamism, not to mention a narrow sense of humor. Yet it's a lounge classic, and a perverse favorite of spy movie fans. Modesty Blaise Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1966 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 119 min. / Street Date August 23, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Monica Vitti, Terence Stamp, Dirk Bogarde, Harry Andrews, Michael Craig, Clive Revill, Alexander Knox, Rossella Falk, Scilla Gabel, Tina Marquand Cinematography Jack Hildyard Production Designer Richard MacDonald, Jack Shampan Film Editor Reginald Beck Original Music John Dankworth Written by Evan Jones from a novel by Peter O'Donnell and a comic strip by Jim Holdaway Produced by Joseph Janni Directed by Joseph Losey

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

When I first reviewed a DVD of Modesty Blaise fourteen years ago,...

June 6, 1944. Today marks the 72nd anniversary of D-Day.

On June 7th, Paramount Home Media Distribution will release director Michael Bay’s remarkable 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi.

Hailed as “powerful” (Kyle Smith, New York Post), “engrossing” (Soren Andersen, Seattle Times) and “full of explosive action” (Dan Casey, Nerdist), the film arrives on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and On Demand this Tuesday. (Review)

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi tells the incredible true story of six elite ex-military operators who fought to protect the CIA against overwhelming odds when terrorists attacked a U.S. diplomatic compound on September 11, 2012. The film stars John Krasinski (TV’s “The Office”), James Badge Dale (World War Z) and Pablo Schreiber (TV’s “Orange is the New Black”), and is based on the nonfiction novel 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi by New York Times best-selling author Mitchell Zuckoff with...

This summer, Vincent Price fans who live stateside are in for a treat, because Twilight Time will release 1973’s Theatre of Blood on Blu-ray for the first time in the Us.

According to Blu-ray.com, Twilight Time has slated their Theatre of Blood Blu-ray for an August 16th release. Special features and cover art have yet to be revealed, but based on Twilight Time’s previous releases, there will likely only be 3,000 Blu-ray copies released and they are apt to sell out quickly, so be sure to keep an eye on the Screen Archives Entertainment website for pre-order availability.

Theatre of Blood held a special place in Price’s heart for giving him a chance to perform monologues from some of Shakespeare’s most epic works. Its arrival on Blu-ray in the Us has been eagerly awaited by Price’s fans for quite some time, making August 16th one of...

Tired of stupid sword 'n' sandal costume pictures? Robert Rossen's all-star bio-epic of the charter founder of the Masons is a superior analysis of political ambition and the ruthless application of power. Yeah, he's wearing a blond wig, but Richard Burton captures the force of Alexander without camping up Asia Minor. Alexander the Great Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 1956 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 136 min. / Ship Date March 15, 2016 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Richard Burton, Fredric March, Claire Bloom, Danielle Darrieux, Barry Jones, Harry Andrews, Stanley Baker, Niall MacGinnis, Peter Cushing. Cinematography Robert Krasker Art Direction Andrej Andrejew Film Editor Ralph Kemplen Original Music Mario Nascimbene Produced by Gordon Griffith, Robert Rossen Written and Directed by Robert Rossen

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Critical opinions aren't supposed to flip-flop with every screening of a film, but I have to admit that my appreciation of Robert Rossen's 1956 epic Alexander the Great...

By Todd Garbarini

On March 4, The Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles will be hosting a 50th anniversary screening of Cy Endfield’s fine 1965 film Sands of the Kalahari, which stars Stuart Whitman, Stanley Baker, Susannah York, Harry Andrews, Theodore Bikel, and Nigel Davenport. The 119-minute film is in color and will be screened on 35mm at 7:30 pm. This is a rare screening and a wonderful opportunity to see it on the big screen.

Scheduled to appear at the screening is actor Stuart Whitman. According to actor, film authority, and longtime friend of the legendary Stuart Whitman, Douglas Dunning confirms that, following the screening, Mr. Whitman will be discussing his career and his experience making this film.

From the press release:

From the Collection of the Library of Congress

Sands of the Kalahari (UK, 1965)

A plane crash in the South African desert exposes its survivors...

Born in St. Louis on May 27, 1911, iconic actor Vincent Price retained a special fondness for his place of origin, and that love was reciprocated with Vincentennial, a celebration of his 100th birthday in his hometown back in May of 2011 (for summary of all the Vincentennial activities go Here). One of the guests of honor at Vincentennial was Vincent Price’s daughter Victoria Price. Because of their close relationship and her access to his unpublished memoirs and letters, Victoria Price was able to provide a remarkably vivid account of her father’s public and private life in her essential book, Vincent Price, a Daughter’s Biography, originally published in 1999. .In 2011, her biography of her father was out of print. but now it’s been re-issued and Victoria will be in St. Louis this weekend (October 9th – 10th) for three special events. In addition to the biography, she will also be signing...

“Do you still say my Shylock was inadequate?”

Theatre Of Blood starring St. Louis native Vincent Price will be screened Saturday October 10th, as part of Movies for Foodies, a regular film series put on by the chefs at Tenacious Eats. The event will take place at St. Louis Banquet Center located at 5700 Leona. In attendance will be special guest Victoria Price, author of Vincent Price, a Daughter’s Biography.

Tenacious Eats presents five courses and five cocktails themed to the Vincent Price masterpiece Theatre Of Blood with special guest of honor Victoria Price! Recipes will be featured from Victoria’s parents’ best-selling cookbook “A Treasury of Great Recipes” which is being re-issued for its 50th Anniversary. Cookbooks will be available for purchase that evening. This event will take place at St. Louis Banquet Center located at 5700 Leona. Get ready for a creepy good time! Live music and cash bar begin at 6:30pm.

Michael Caine young. Michael Caine movies: From Irwin Allen bombs to Woody Allen classic It's hard to believe that Michael Caine has been around making movies for nearly six decades. No wonder he's had time to appear – in roles big and small and tiny – in more than 120 films, ranging from unwatchable stuff like the Sylvester Stallone soccer flick Victory and Michael Ritchie's adventure flick The Island to Brian G. Hutton's X, Y and Zee, Joseph L. Mankiewicz's Sleuth (a duel of wits and acting styles with Laurence Olivier), and Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men. (See TCM's Michael Caine movie schedule further below.) Throughout his long, long career, Caine has played heroes and villains and everything in between. Sometimes, in his worst vehicles, he has floundered along with everybody else. At other times, he was the best element in otherwise disappointing fare, e.g., Philip Kaufman's Quills.

By rights I should hate the English. Seriously, my background is almost entirely Scots and Irish. I grew up hearing about the troubles the English gave to the Scots and Irish, both in school and from my parents.

Yet I do not, I love the English. How can I hate a country that gave us not only Monty Python but also Benny Hill and the Carry On Films? How can I bear any ill will to a country that gave us writers of the caliber of Ramsey Campbell, Brian Aldiss, Michael Moorcock and J. G Ballard? How can anyone hate a country that not only prizes eccentric behavior but encourages it? Take Mr. Kim Newman for instance, a brilliant writer whose work appears regularly in Video WatchDog and Videoscope Mr. Newman dresses himself, has his hair and mustache styled and speaks in the manner of someone from the 19th Century!

'Nicholas and Alexandra': Movie starred Michael Jayston and Janet Suzman 'Nicholas and Alexandra' movie review: Opulent 1971 spectacle lacks emotional core Nicholas and Alexandra is surely one of the most sumptuous film productions ever made. The elaborate sets and costumes, Richard Rodney Bennett's lush musical score, and frequent David Lean collaborator Freddie Young's richly textured cinematography provide the perfect period atmosphere for this historical epic. Missing, however, is a screenplay that offers dialogue instead of speeches, and a directorial hand that brings out emotional truth instead of soapy melodrama. Nicholas and Alexandra begins when, after several unsuccessful attempts, Tsar Nicholas II (Michael Jayston) finally becomes the father of a boy. Shortly thereafter, he and his wife, the German-born Empress Alexandra (Janet Suzman), have their happiness crushed when they discover that their infant son is a hemophiliac. In addition to his familial turmoil, the Tsar must also deal with popular...

Following his directorial debut, the 1967 Sonny and Cher vignette flick Good Times, director William Friedkin struggled through a couple of projects before landing his first really provocative title with 1970’s The Boys in the Band. Of course, following that would be The French Connection and so on and so forth. But prior to that, Friedkin helmed a period piece penned and produced by Norman Lear, The Night They Raided Minsky’s, which more or less depicts the accidental invention of stripping during the golden period of burlesque. Plagued by various production issues, including the death of Bert Lahr (you know him as the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz) during filming, the initial cut of the film was famously termed ‘disastrous,’ and the title would be retooled for nine months by editor Ralph Rosenblum and finally see release a year after production ended. While not quite charming or as...

'Henry V' Movie Actress Renée Asherson dead at 99: Laurence Olivier leading lady in acclaimed 1944 film (image: Renée Asherson and Laurence Olivier in 'Henry V') Renée Asherson, a British stage actress featured in London productions of A Streetcar Named Desire and Three Sisters, but best known internationally as Laurence Olivier's leading lady in the 1944 film version of Henry V, died on October 30, 2014. Asherson was 99 years old. The exact cause of death hasn't been specified. She was born Dorothy Renée Ascherson (she would drop the "c" some time after becoming an actress) on May 19, 1915, in Kensington, London, to Jewish parents: businessman Charles Ascherson and his second wife, Dorothy Wiseman -- both of whom narrowly escaped spending their honeymoon aboard the Titanic. (Ascherson cancelled the voyage after suffering an attack of appendicitis.) According to Michael Coveney's The Guardian obit for the actress, Renée Asherson was "scantly...

“The British Film” collection was launched by Network Distributing in April 2013 as part of a five-year plan to release over 450 vintage British films through a deal with Studiocanal. Many of the films have never been available to own and will benefit from new transfers. We’ve already reviewed a couple of their previous releases, the Hammer horror pairing of Countess Dracula and Twins of Evil – and now we take a look at two more interesting British horrors of the 1970s…

The Shout

Stars: Alan Bates, Susannah York, John Hurt, Robert Stephens, Tim Curry | Directed by Jerzy Skolimowski

Synopsis: During a cricket match at an insane asylum between the inmates and the local villagers, Crossley and Graves keep themselves entertained by telling stories. Crossley tells of how he came to possess supernatural powers enabling him to kill with a single shout and although his companion dismisses the tale as an insane fantasy,...

Christopher Reeve Foundation for spinal cord and stem cell research (photo: Darryl Hannah and Christopher Reeve in 'Rear Window') (See previous post: "'Superman' Christopher Reeve and his Movies: Ten-Year Death Anniversary.") In his 1998 autobiography Still Me, Christopher Reeve recalled: "At an especially bleak moment [prior to an operation that might result in his death], the door [of his hospital room] flew open and in hurried a squat fellow with a blue scrub hat and a yellow surgical gown and glasses, speaking in a Russian accent. For the first time since the accident, I laughed. My old friend had helped me know that somehow I was going to be okay." The "old friend" was the recently deceased Robin Williams, whom Reeve had befriended while both were studying at Juillard. Eventually, Reeve became a staunch advocate for spinal cord and stem cell research, sponsoring with his wife the Christopher Reeve Foundation — later renamed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation (and formerly known...

We’ll be celebrating the 5th year anniversary of Super-8 Movie Madness at The Way Out Club in St. Louis on Tuesday October 7th with an encore performance of our most popular show. It’s Super-8 Vincent Price Movie Madness in 3D, the show that we took on the road to promote Vincentennial back in 2011. We’ll be honoring the hometown horror hero by showing condensed (average length: 15 minutes) versions of several of Price’s greatest films on Super-8 sound film projected on a big screen. They are: Master Of The World, War-gods Of The Deep, Pit And The Pendulum, The Raven, Witchfinder General, Tim Burton’s Vincent, Two Vincent Price Trailer Reels, Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein and The Mad Magician in 3D (We’ll have plenty of 3D Glasses for everyone)

The non-Price movies we’re showing October 7th are The Three Stooges in Pardon My Backfire...

To mark the release of Theatre of Blood on 5th May, we’ve been given 3 copies to give away on Blu-ray

It’s never been tougher to be a critic than in Theatre of Blood, one of the greatest horror comedies of all time. Vincent Price gives a career best performance as Edward Lionhart, a veteran Shakespearean actor who, when passed over for the coveted Critic’s Circle award for Best Actor takes deadly revenge on the critics who snubbed him.

With one of the greatest ensemble casts ever assembled for a horror film including Diana Rigg, Harry Andrews, Jack Hawkins and Arthur Lowe, Theatre of Blood is a dementedly funny and deliciously macabre cult classic.

Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only

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The Small Print

Open to UK residents only The competition will close 8th May at 23.59 GMT The winner will be picked...

UK horror fans are getting treated to a Blu-ray release of Vincent Price’s Theatre of Blood next month thanks to Arrow Video and we have all the details on the upcoming release. Not only will there be a standard edition that’s loaded with bonus features, but a limited edition steelbook has also been produced and we have a look at it below.

“It’s never been tougher to be a critic than in Theatre of Blood, one of the greatest horror comedies of all time. Vincent Price gives a career best performance as Edward Lionhart, a veteran Shakespearean actor who, when passed over for the coveted Critic’s Circle award for Best Actor takes deadly revenge on the critics who snubbed him.

With one of the greatest ensemble casts ever assembled for a horror film including Diana Rigg, Harry Andrews, Jack Hawkins and Arthur Lowe, Theatre of Blood...

Arrow Video is thrilled to announce the UK Blu-ray and Blu-ray Steelbook release of Theatre of Blood, the seminal 1973 British horror classic starring Vincent Price, Diana Rigg, Ian Hendry, Harry Andrews, Arthur Lowe, Robert Coote and Coral Browne. This newly restored feature will make its worldwide Blu-ray debut on 5th May 2014. Featuring a bumper crop of bonus features such as a newly recorded audio commentary with The League of Gentlemen (Jeremy Dyson, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith), interviews with the likes of Victoria Price, author and film historian David Del Valle, Theatre of Blood star Madeline Smith and composer Michael J. Lewis. The release also features a reversible sleeve featuring new artwork by Sam Smith and a collectors booklet with new writing on the film by critic Cleaver Patterson and a reproduction of the original press book material, illustrated with original archive stills. Synopsis: Vincent Price gives a...

As the undisputed king of American gothic, Vincent Price holds a unique position regarding his association with British horror. From the mid sixties, nearly all his films were made in the UK, and while not as distinguished as The House of Usher (1960), Tales of Terror (1962) and The Raven (1963), they are not without interest. As an actor perfectly suited to English gothic, Price’s output includes two career-defining performances. In a nutshell, he had the best of both worlds.

Masque of the Red Death (1964)

The British phase of his career began with a bang. After directing all of Price’s Poe chillers for American International Pictures, Roger Corman wanted to give the formula a fresh approach by making his next film in England. Aip’s Samuel Z Arkoff and James H Nicholson had already produced several European films, so the next step was to establish a London base with Louis M Heyward in charge.

Man of Steel 2013 box office: $250 million milestone in North America (photo: possibly after his Man of Steel workout, Henry Cavill chats with director Zack Snyder) Directed by Zack Snyder, and starring Henry Cavill, Man of Steel passed the $250 million milestone at the North American box office on Monday, July 1, 2013. On that day, Man of Steel added $3.04 million, for a domestic cume of $251.62 million, according to figures found at Box Office Mojo. After adding another $2.78 million on Tuesday, July 2, the Superman reboot’s domestic total currently stands at $254.4 million. Not adjusted for inflation, Man of Steel is no. 28 on Box Office Mojo’s chart of the fastest movies to reach $250 million at the North American box office: 18 days. The no. 1 title is Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, with 6 days. Other movies that also took 18 days to reach $250 million — years ago, when ticket prices were lower — are Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers...

Man of Steel weekend box office: Above estimates, but real June record remains beyond the reach of Superman 2013 reboot (image: Henry Cavill as Superman in Man of Steel) Somewhat surprisingly — it’s usually the other way around — Warner Bros.’ Man of Steel grossed more than $3 million above studio estimates released on Sunday, June 16, 2013. Directed by Zack Snyder (300, Sucker Punch), and starring Henry Cavill (The Tudors, possibly the upcoming The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), the 2013 Superman reboot scored $116.61 million from 4,207 North American locations according to weekend box-office actuals found at Box Office Mojo. Once Thursday evening figures are added, the $225 million-budgeted Man of Steel‘s domestic cume reached $128.68 million by Sunday evening. Now, Man of Steel‘s adjusted $116.61 million doesn’t change the June Box-Office Record Chart in any way. The Superman reboot remains ahead of the former official June champ, the Tom Hanks-, Tim Allen-voiced Toy Story 3‘s...

Henry Cavill Superman: Man of Steel vs. Superman movies of years past [See previous post: "Man of Steel Trailing Original Iron Man in Ticket Sales."] As mentioned in our previous posts, the $225 million-budgeted Man of Steel grossed an estimated $113.08 million this past weekend, including $9 million from Thursday midnight screenings. Directed by Zack Snyder, the 2013 Superman reboot stars Henry Cavill as Clark Kent aka Superman. (Photo: Henry Cavill in Man of Steel.) Released in late June 2006, Bryan Singer’s $270 million-budgeted Superman Returns, starring Brandon Routh as Superman, debuted with $52.53 million, or about $64 million today. Even taking into account that Superman Returns lacked the box-office-boosting advantage of 3D surcharges, Man of Steel is obviously a much bigger hit than its immediate predecessor. Superman Returns eventually reached $200.08 million in North America, plus a slightly more modest $191 million internationally. Man of Steel will not only easily surpass Superman Returns at the domestic box office, but it’ll also earn at the very least twice as much as Superman Returns internationally.