Ten years after directing the first ‘Summer Blockbuster’ Steven Spielberg was not only at the top of his game, he was a brand whose name was an unofficial seal of approval. Having started his career in television, Spielberg returned to the medium with the 45-episode anthology series, Amazing Stories, out now on DVD from Umbrella […]
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I first saw Carroll Baker in Kindergarten Cop when I was far too young to be watching it. She played criminal matriarch, Eleanor Crisp, mother to the film’s main villain, Cullen Crisp, played by Richard Tyson. Now on DVD from Via Vision Entertainment is Carroll Baker: The Paramount Collection, four classic titles from the blond-bombshell’s
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While the surname is similar, I wouldn’t say Dirk Bogarde is the UK’s answer to Humphrey Bogart. Unlike the rough exterior of ‘Bogie’, not to mention his unique manner of speaking, Derek Niven van den Bogaerde, is a clean-cut gentleman who speaks the Queen’s English flawlessly. Whether he’s playing a hardened criminal or a reform
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Lon Chaney Jr. passed away at age 67 in 1973; relatively pre-mature compared to the many stars who continue to work into their 90s nowadays, the late Christopher Plummer being a prime example. However, Chaney worked the camera enough for two lifetimes and was a fixture at Universal Pictures during the 1940s. Between scaring movie-goers
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Following the inaugural release of The Last Wave under Umbrella Entertainment’s new sub-label, Sunburnt Screens, another obscure classic has finally been given an HD treatment. Rolf de Heer’s Dingo hit shelves in January; an endearing drama about an average resident of the Western Australian outback, John Anderson (Colin Friels), who sets out to meet his
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Imprint Film’s final wave for 2020 featured a number of genre classics that have been hard to resist. Succumbing to my urges as a completest I’ve ended up with five out of the six titles, with At Close Range (No. 25) being my pick for the best release, which includes some newly commissioned bonus material.
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It’s a pleasure to be reviewing another title from Flicker Alley, following up on my coverage of Paul Leni’s The Last Warning and The Man Who Laughs in 2019, with an earlier classic from the silent film auteur. Waxworks is a light anthology piece that displays unbridled imagination and the most elaborately creative set-design; released
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Umbrella Entertainment has been doubling down on their efforts in bringing Australian-made content to physical media, first with the creation of new sub-label, Sunburnt Screens, and the recent restart to their popular line of Ozploitation titles. Between these two events, Umbrella has unearthed the classic TV mini-series, A Town Like Alice, adapted from Neil Shute’s
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Wuxia, meaning ‘martial heroes’, is a genre of Chinese fiction the revolves around adventures set in ancient times. Capitalized by the film industry, you’re likely familiar with the style even if you haven’t seen one of the many titles that were most prevalent during the 80s and 90s. The Bride with White Hair gave me
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Kirk Douglas tried his hand at directing in the mid-1970s, first with the jovial adventure-western Peg Leg, Musket & Sabre (1973). Following its poor reception, he made a second attempt, this time with the grittier revisionist-western, Posse, that’s returned to DVD in Australia through Shock Entertainment under the label’s ‘Hollywood Gold Series’. Howard Nightingale (Kirk
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