After some delay, Warner Archives has released a 2-disc set of all six of the Perry Mason films from 1934 through 1937. To commemorate the release, I thought I’d bring over one of my old posts from the SBBN archives, a quickie summary of all six Mason films from 2009. …
Artists and Models (1937) is the full 1930s Hollywood entertainment spectacle, complete with music, dancing, celebrity cameos, comedy, romance, and hot chicks in skimpy clothes. Because of all those things and the stars — Jack Benny, Ida Lupino, and Gail Patrick — I was sure I’d love it. I didn’t. …
Many months ago, writer-director Oren Shai was kind enough to send me a copy of his short subject “Condemned” (2010), a tight, engaging film that combines exploitation cinema with the feel of a 1950s genre Western. Fortunately, Oren has just released the film online here in streaming video. Because it’s …
All three of the Edna Mae Oliver “Hildegarde Withers” murder mystery vehicles were recently show on TCM in a little mini marathon. First up was The Penguin Pool Murder: Anyhow, the Hildegarde Withers series. This series consists of six films that ran from 1932 to 1937, with only the first …
“Bloggers think I’m cool,” he said. “I wish I knew what it was about me that was cool so I can repeat it.” William Shatner, “The Many Iterations of William Shatner” – Ever since the Shatnerthon, I have been watching films that some of you fine Shatnerthonians wrote about. Of …
Miss Diana Dors: Singer, actress, and professional sexpot. One of my favorites. The photo shoot with this silver swimsuit must have lasted for days, considering how many pics are floating around. There is something very Ed Woodian about this one. *** Yes, I was late again! And for …
The Unholy Wife proves that Diana Dors could, in a pinch, act. It also proves she needed a strong director and a good story, both of which are sadly lacking in this film. The poster tagline — “HALF-ANGEL, HALF-DEVIL, she made him HALF-A-MAN!” — is pretty much a lie. You …
Note: This post deals with disturbing themes and sexual content. The pics are safe for work, but the overall post may not be safe for work, for your brain, or for your spirit. *** Jerzy Skolimowski’s Deep End (1970) is messed up. I know that sounds weak, that I should …
Between the recent Akira Kurosawa month on TCM and the always-changing order of my rental queue, I have seen a lot of Kurosawa’s films. “The Bad Sleep Well” was one of the first. Called “Kurosawa’s unofficial Hamlet“ by critic Ed Park, I found the movie to go far beyond the …
When I watched these films, it had been a while since I had seen a movie made before the 1960s, and that felt very odd. I was glad I had these 2 Charles Laughton films ready to watch. “The Private Life of Henry VIII” is the movie that put Laughton …
