A sincere apology to my faithful Raiders of Ghost City followers for putting this series on the back burner for three whole weeks. I had several concurrent deadlines at Spectrum Culture and another place which I hope I can finally reveal soon, plus an unexpected article for Press Play, thus the blog had to wait.…
All posts in 2013
Elsewhere This Week (Or Two)
Today at Press Play, The Three Burials of No Country For Old Men, a compilation of three essays challenging the critical acclaim of the Coen Brothers’ 2007 film. I am absolutely delighted to have been asked to contribute to Press Play, especially for an essay on the Coens, filmmakers I find aggravating and compelling in…
Happy Birthday, El!
El Brendel Born March 25, 1890 Pictured here with Janet Gaynor in Sunnyside Up (1929)
Elsewhere on the Web: Sadomasochism, Swingers and Scarface
A quick note for Raiders of Ghost City fans: I’m writing for a couple of other outlets now and have, between today and March 20th, ten deadlines to meet. Raiders is going to have to wait for a couple of weeks while I get everything else squared away. Thanks for your patience. Speaking of other…
Happy Birthday, Henry Daniell!
Henry Daniell March 5, 1894 – October 31, 1963 (Photo: Daniell and Greta Garbo in Camille (1936))
Raiders of Ghost City #3: Death Rides Double
Last week on Raiders of Ghost City! Jeff, black-clad resident of Oro Grande and member of Regis Toomey’s gold raiders, confesses that he’s really a spy named Jim, and Captain Steve “Bland” Clark’s brother. Meanwhile, the real but secret leaders of the gold theft ring, the dapper Alex and Trina, are speeding toward Oro Grande.…
March Movies to Watch For
Here are some films on Fox Movie Channel, Sundance, IndiePlex, RetroPlex and TCM for the month of March, 2013 that you might be interested in. Remember, these movies may be edited, time compressed, in the wrong aspect ratio, have commercial interruptions, be preempted, or have never existed in the first place. You know how it…
Raiders of Ghost City #2: Flaming Treachery
The moment I started this chapter I knew I would love it, because its title is “Flaming Treachery.” As in treachery, an intangible yet powerful thing, which somehow caught the fuck on fire. Delicious. Raiders of Ghost City was produced by Universal in 1944, and is one of the last movie serials they ever did.…
Marie Prevost Project: Only Yesterday (1933)
For anyone interested in doing research using these posts, please read the note at the bottom of the post. Thank you. *** One of the most terrible yet fascinating facets of Marie Prevost’s Hollywood decline is how poorly she was treated in the latter days of her career. Precious little is available about what went…
Happy Birthday, Mr. Benny!
Jack Benny February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974