Author Archive: admin
The Titanic Legacy, Part II
Tired of the Titanic blather? Well, try and squeeze in two more edifying reviews – the 1943 Nazi propaganda film Titanic, and the 2012 History CHannel documentary Nazi Titanic, which chronicles the often absurd and tragic circumstances surrounding the film’s production. Also added to the mobile site database are related reviews for Das leben geht weiter, Herr Goebbels’ last but unrealized propaganda film; Wort un tat, a crude 1938 Nazi newsreel / ersatz documentary; and reviews of Titanic (1953) and Raise the Titanic (1980). Wait, that’s not two reviews… Whoops.
Bouchet-Tolo Double-Bill = Quadruple-Trouble!
Reviews of Code Red’s B-movie double-bill Stoney / Surabaya Conspiracy (1969) + The Killer Likes Candy / Un killer per sua maestà (1968).
The Titanic Legacy, Part I
Yes, it’s Friday the 13th, and tomorrow makes the day the world’s greatest oceanliner – the Titanic – struck an iceberg and lost most of her passengers. A tragedy, pop culture phenomenon, and merchandise windfall all in one, and the 100th anniversary brings out oodles of new and old material to feed nostalgia, fascination, and genuine empathy for the 1500+people who died April 14th. Not reviewed is James Cameron’s Titanic (do you really need to read another review of the most-reviewd Titanic film?), but a pair of recently aired teleplays on CBC Newsworld, and available online via streaming – the excellent Saving the Titanic docu-drama, and TitanicL The Canadian Story – plus reviews of Sony Classical’s 4-CD Titanic: Collector’s Anniversary Edition set, and BSX Records’ Titanic: An Epic Musical Voyage.
The Erotic Shades of Zalman King, Part I
American erotic film pioneer Zalman King died in February at the age of 69, and the release in March of his first major screenwriting success – a film version of Elizabeth McNeill’s autobiographical 9 1/2 Weeks (1986), directed by Adrian Lyne – seems like the perfect opportunity to both review the film and begin a sporadic look at King’s oeuvre as a filmmaker, with a lengthy Editor’s Blog / tribute to the marginalized oddball.
Twisted Metal’s Michael Wandmacher + Grant Kirkhope’s Reckoning
Videogame voundtrack reviews for Grant Kirkhope’s Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and Michael Wandmacher’s Twisted Metal (Sony), plus an interview with Wandmacher regarding scoring videogames + teaser details on his upcoming horror score, The Haunting in Georgia.
Darrell Wasyk’s The Girl in the White Coat
After a lengthy absence from feature films, writer / director Darrell Wasyk (H, Mustard Bath) returns with The Girl in the White Coat, his liberal adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s short story “The Overcoat,” starring Pascale Montpetit, which begins its engagement at the TIFF Bell Lightbox Friday. Uploaded is both a film review, and an interview with Wasyk, who also discusses his breakthrough film H, and its planned DVD release. Yes, really!
The Films of Frankie-Boy, Part I
Slight editorial blather to set up the first set of reviews focusing on the films of Frank Sinatra, crooner, and pretty good actor who eventually settled into a familiar groove and sometimes got lazy in the execution of a film or two. From Olive Films on Blu-ray comes the Rod Serling-scripted heist thriller Assault on a Queen, and the film version of Neil Simon’s first play, Come Blow Your Horn; and from Twilight Time we have Pal Joey, with pal Frankie sandwiched between palsies Rita Hayworth and Kim Novak. No spicy hot sauce required at all!
Genre Variations, & System Adjustments
Sites are back online, and so is a quartet of reviews for recent genre entries, starting with a virus thriller: Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion (Warner Home Video); a zombie film: Brothers Howard and Jon Ford’s The Dead (Anchor Bay); a retro slasher: Alex Pucci and Draven Gonzalez’ Frat House Massacre (Synapse Films); and a J-horror: Yôichi Nishiyama’s Gurozuka (Synapse Films).
Festivals-a-Go-Go
Tally of current & ongoing series & festivals, plus some handy-dandy links for those who missed the screening of Carl Michael von Hausswold and Thomas Nordanstad’s short film Hashima, Japan 2002, about the abandoned isle & mining mini-town that’s been decaying under the raw elements for the past 30 years. Also of note: link to Rue Morgue’s interview with Mark Miller, who championed the restoration of Clive Barker’s Nightbreed.
Critical Thoughts: Gerald Peary on American Film Criticism
Review of Gerald Peary’s 2009 documentary For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism (2009), which screened this past Sunday March 25th at Toronto’s Bloor Cinema. Also included: bonus audio clips from Peary’s pre-screening intro + post-screening audience Q&A (in lo-fi mono!)
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