Category: EDITOR’S BLOG
Black Glove Ballads: The Art of the Italian Giallo Soundtrack 1.0
Mark your calendars for my Black Museum lecture on the music composed for Italian’s beautifully insane crime / thriller / slasher / whodunnit / mystery genre, the giallo. On Thursday October 10th at 8pm at The Big Picture Cinemas, I’ll be discussing the artistry of several composers, including Carlo Rustichelli, Ennio Morricone, and Goblin. For some early contextual reading, I’ve uploaded reviews of some genre influences, including And Then There Were None (1945), The Cat and the Canary (1927), The Old Dark House (1932), and The Phantom (1931).
International Independent Video Store Day, Post #1
Yup, it’s coming, and leading up to the 3rd year anniversary on October 19th I’ve started posting little bits & thoughts of ephemera, like the original membership info-sheets from my first local video store, a Video Station at Skymark Plaza, circa 1983-ish.
John Carpenter’s Christine on Blu-ray
Review of John Carpenter’s Christine (1983), released on Blu by Twilight Time, plus recollections of The Thing, which recently screened at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.
Walter Hill on Blu + William Friedkin Turns 78
Reviews of three Walter Hill films: his diretorial debut Hard Times (1975) + the superb car chase film The Driver (1978), newly minted on Blu-ray from Twilight Time; and Bullet to the Head (2012) from Warner Home Video, his return to the director’s chair after a 10 year absence from feature film directing. Also: William Friedkin discusses the looming release of his long-ignored masterwork, Sorcerer (1977) after turining 78 this week.
Hands of the Ripper!
Review of Synapse’s new Blu-ray / DVD combo edition of Hammer’s bloodiest film, Hands of the Ripper (1971).
Criterion to shift to Dual-Format Blu-ray/DVD releases in November
Starting this November, Criterion will begin releasing titles as Dual-Format Blu-ray / DVD editions, a cost-saving strategy that’s already present on some indie UK labels like Eureka, and has been applied to select releases from Shout Factory and Synapse Films. ‘Future proofed’ might be a little bit of a stretch – the term sounds like […]
Reviewing the Bio-Horror in Antiviral, and the Race Begins
Yup, they’re finally up – a film review of Antiviral (Alliance / EOne) and soundtrack review (Lakeshore Records) – plus some editorial thoughts on assorted projects present, future, and in the works.
Hans Zimmer’s Man of Steel
Just uploaded – a quick review of Hans Zimmer’s Man of Steel, released by Water Tower Music on CD, LP, and as a downloadable DTS Headphones: X version.
Nikkatsu Naughties, Part 5: Teachers Under Extreme Duress
Reviewed are Impulse Pictures / Synapse Films’ latest crop of Nikkatsu Roman Porno entries – Female Teacher: Hunting / Onna kyôshi-gari + Female Teacher: In Front of the Students / Onna kyôshi: Seito no me no maede (both from 1982) – and for some contextual reference for all this period smut, I’ve added a review of Sadistic and Masochistic (2000), Hideo Nakata’s 2000 documentary on Nikkatsu’s prolific house director Masaru Konuma.
The Blue Lagoons, Part 1
Part 1 in this series contains a pair of comparative reviews of the 1949 and 1980 fiilm adaptations of Henry De Vere Stacpoole’s Victorian novel about two cousins stranded on a lovely tropical island where they eat coconuts, fish, and eventually sleep together. Tthe 1949 film version of The Blue Lagoon starred Jean Simmons and Donald Houston and remains unavailable on home video, blast it; whereas the 1980 version with Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins was released on Blu-ray by Twilight Time. Read the Editor’s Blog for authentic nit-picking blather, and then check out the reviews.
Connect
Connect with us on the following social media platforms.