News

James Earl Jones in ‘Coming 2 America’ (Photo Courtesy of Amazon Studios)

On September 9, 2024, we lost one of the great ones: James Earl Jones. Jones is one of the few people to achieve the Egot, but more important than awards was the passion, commitment, craft, and just sheer scale he brought to every role whether it was as the leading man, a supporting character, or just a voice. And he brought all that to the table whether he was doing Shakespeare or Sesame Street. He was truly a rare talent.

James Earl Jones made his Broadway debut in 1957 but gained acclaim for his work with the New York Shakespeare Festival taking on the Bard’s tragic heroes of Othello, Hamlet, Coriolanus, and King Lear. He would win a Tony Award for Best Actor for The Great White Hope (1968), a role that he reprised for the 1970 film adaptation, earning him his...

The social, cultural, and historical relevance of James Earl Jones simply cannot be overstated. The actor’s voice has permeated every vessel and bone of modern society, shaping and informing entire generations since the advent of Star Wars in 1977. By lending a mouthpiece to Darth Vader, the menacing villain with the samurai helmet became infinitely more terrifying, influencing popular culture forever and becoming a forebearer of all evil to come.

Star Wars primary antagonist, Darth Vader [Credit: Lucasfilm]

Now, nearly half a century later, no other voice has been so instantly recognizable and integrally iconic to our pop culture history. Capable of sending literal chills down the spine of his audience, James Earl Jones’s legacy will continue to live on through Darth Vader, with his voice becoming forever immortalized after his heartbreaking death.

However, James Earl Jones had more to his life and identity than one Star Wars character.

James...

The year of 1969 saw the moon landing of the Apollo 11’s Eagle module, Richard Nixon sworn in as the 37th president of the United States, the Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village ushering in the gay rights movement, the Tate-La Bianca murders by the Manson Family, the landmark Woodstock Music and Arts Fair which attracts 400,000, the tragic and violent Rolling Stones concert at the Altamont Speedway and even Tiny Tim marrying Miss Vicki on NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.”

But one major event was basically ignored by the mainstream media: the Harlem Cultural Arts Festival which took place June 29-August 24 at the Mount Morris Park. Founded by Tony Lawrence, the festival celebrating Black pride, music and culture features such landmark performers as Sly and the Family Stone, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Stevie Wonder, The Fifth Dimension and Mahalia Jackson. And when the NYPD refused to supply security,...

Flix FlashbackDirected by Joshiy and written by Dennis Joseph, the film has one of the best mainstream screenplays in Malayalam cinema.Neelima MenonThe film opens in a wintry Delhi. It’s Republic Day and as is tradition, five inmates will be released from the Central prison for good conduct. One of the inmates excitedly runs towards a man painting a signboard. He seems to be in his mid-40s, his hair and beard are greying, framed on a face fitted with a pair of thick black spectacles with cracked lenses. He moves with the aid of a wooden stick and his right hand is immobile. That was an unconventional introduction of a hero in Malayalam cinema back then—G Krishnamurthy (Mammootty), the once fiery young journalist and cartoonist who finds himself deceitfully shut in jail with broken limbs for taking on two politicians. Written by Dennis Joseph, easily one of...

Charles “Chuck” Fries, whose career as a television and film producer included a long list of classic shows, series and films, died Wednesday, his family announced. He was 92. No cause of death was given.

During a prolific career that spanned more than 60 years, he participated in the production of more than 5,000 series episodes, 140 television movies and miniseries and more than 40 theatrical films. His producing credits range from Tales of the Crypt and The Call of the Wild to TV’s The Amazing Spider-Man and The Martian Chronicles to Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean, Troop Beverly Hills and Screamers.

Born on September 30, 1928, in native of Cincinnati, Fries began his career at Ziv Television in 1952, where he worked on legendary syndicated shows like The Cisco Kid, Highway Patrol, Bat Masterson, and Sea Hunt. He moved to Screen Gems in 1960, where he was involved in the production of such classics as Naked City,...

I was a gangster. The pinstriped suit, wingtip shoes, felt fedora, and a heavy tough-guy accent in my final high school drama performance. On the closing night our interactive dinner theater show, where performers were expected to chat with the guests in the audience, was loose and freewheeling with cast members in heavy eyeliner and some with spirit gummed mustaches. The ensemble was excited and I, playing the villain who made a grand entrance with a gang of thugs, was ready to give one final performance before hanging up the black fedora and, ultimately, my short time as a stage performer. During the show, I found my target, an older gentleman with a wooden cane who also sported a brimmed fitted Panama. With an aggressive tone I called out to him just as the crowd quieted, I said, “What are you looking at old man?”. The older gentleman paused, stared me up and down,...

Russ Meyer, legendary for his lascivious approach to cheerfully lurid fare like Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! and Vixen, plays it relatively straight in this adaptation of trash-meister Irving Wallace’s free-speech manifesto on pornography. The result is neither fish nor fowl and something that had never existed till The Seven Minutes – a dull Russ Meyer movie. Even so, Meyer’s editing rhythms are so out of the mainstream that it’s still almost experimental for a Fox studio movie. The 1971 release starred Wayne Maunder and Meyer mainstays Edy Williams and Charles Napier along with a few ringers including Yvonne DeCarlo, John Carradine and Wolfman Jack.

The post The Seven Minutes appeared first on Trailers From Hell.

Paul Newman in The Prize is currently available on Blu-ray From Warner Archive. Ordering information can be found Here

After unexpectedly winning the Nobel Prize for Literature, closet crime novelist Andrew Craig (Paul Newman) finds himself in Sweden to accept the award but is swept up into Cold War intrigue.More comfortable at the bar than at the abacus, affable souse Craig nonetheless sniffs a whiff of wrongdoing when Dr. Max Stratman (Edward G. Robinson), winner of the Physics prize, undergoes a mysterious personality change. A truly Hitchcockian thriller, with a screenplay penned by North by Northwest scribe Ernest Lehman, The Prize comes with fully realized characters, sweeping surprises and danger-filled denouement – not to mention the always delightful Elke Sommer and a masterful score by Jerry Goldsmith! This sweeping saga of espionage and suspense reveals a multitude of hidden delights on this pristine baby blue transfer in high definition.

Top writers,...

Already eclipsed by James Bond and sexier European films, Paul Newman does his best to energize this derivative but lively spy-chase thriller set during Nobel season, in a Stockholm populated by the glamorous Elke Sommer, Diane Baker, Micheline Presle and Jacqueline Beer. Toss several Hitchcock pictures into a blender, and what comes out is reasonably engaging… and more than a little dated.

The Prize

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1963 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 134 min. / Street Date January 15, 2019 / available through the WBshop / 21.99

Starring: Paul Newman, Edward G. Robinson, Elke Sommer, Diane Baker, Micheline Presle, Gérard Oury, Sergio Fantoni, Kevin McCarthy, Leo G. Carroll, Sacha Pitoëff, Jacqueline Beer, John Wengraf, Don Dubbin, Virginia Christine, Rudolph Anders, Martine Bartlett, Karl Swenson, John Qualen, John Banner, Teru Shimada, Albert Carrier, Jerry Dunphy, Britt Ekland, Gergory Gaye, Anna Lee, Gregg Palmer, Gene Roth, Ivan Triesault.

Cinematography: William H. Daniels

Film Editor: Adrienne Fazan

Original Music: Jerry Goldsmith...

Join me for a summer abroad as I check out a series of foreign films from countries that have made a big splash in the horror community. Of course, in the spirit of this column I’ll be taking a peek at movies that may not be as well-known as some of the classics from their particular country. Hopefully we’ll have a chance to find a few surprises together.

[Spoiler warning if you haven't seen StageFright.]

As I wrap up my international horror tour this summer, I’ve decided to make a return trip to Italy, the land of bloody black gloves and bad dubbing. A few months ago I tried to acquire a taste for giallo with a viewing of A Blade in the Dark, and while it didn’t fully win me over, I knew I wanted to keep exploring the subgenre. A recent episode of the podcast Exploding Heads covered Michele Soavi...

Rock Hudson and Donna Reed star in a kidnapping-vengeance-pursuit western filmed in large part in gorgeous Sedona, Arizona, in 3-D and (originally) Technicolor. It’s another 3-D treasure from the 1950s boom years. The trailer is in 3-D too.

Gun Fury 3-D

3-D Blu-ray

Twilight Time

1953 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 82 min. / Street Date September 19, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95

Starring: Rock Hudson, Donna Reed, Phil Carey, Roberta Haynes, Leo Gordon, Lee Marvin, Neville Brand.

Cinematography: Lester WhiteMusical Director (Stock Music): Mischa Bakaleinikoff

Written by Irving Wallace, Roy Huggins

Produced by Lewis Rachmil

Directed by Raoul Walsh

I have a new theory for why the 1950s 3-D craze only lasted about 2.5 years: they couldn’t find any more one-eyed directors to make them.

Gun Fury arrived at the end of 1953, in the thick of what would be called the ‘fad’ of 3-D. Columbia Pictures jumped into ‘depth pictures’ as if it were a gimmick,...

This is my film review and it Freaks Me Out!  Girlie-art legend Russ Meyer and then- tyro critic Roger Ebert fashion the most garish, vulgar and absurd satire of wild Hollywood that they can think of, a camp vision of joy straight from the dizzy imagination of a breast-obsessed glamour photographer. All your favorites are here -- Erica Gavin, Dolly Read, Marcia McBroom, Cynthia Meyers, Edy Williams. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls + The Seven Minutes Region B Blu-ray + Pal DVD Arrow Video (UK) 1970 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 109 min. / Street Date January 18, 2016 / Available from Amazon UK £17.99 Starring Dolly Read, Cynthia Meyers, Marcia McBroom, Erica Gavin, John Lazar, Michael Blodgett, David Gurian, Edy Williams, Phyllis Davis, Harrison Page, Duncan McLeod, Charles Napier, Haji, Pam Grier, Coleman Francis, The Strawberry Alarm Clock. Cinematography Fred J. Koenecamp Editors Dann Cahn, Dick Wormell Original Music Stu Phillips Written by Roger Ebert, Russ Meyer Produced and...

The late ‘80s signaled the end of my first golden age of horror. Which is to say two things: adulthood beckoned, and horror films – especially slashers - were running low on inspiration (remember the early ‘90s wasteland? Brr.). However, looking across the waters, some veteran Italian filmmakers weren’t throwing in the towel yet. Michele Soavi’s Stage Fright (1987) stands apart from the crowd because it proved that not only was the beaten and flogged sub-genre alive, it was still capable of surprising fans with enough fresh blood pumping through its weary veins to make you sit up and notice. Just when you thought you couldn’t survive another hack ‘em up, Stage Fright made you a believer again.

Stage Fright, Aka StageFright: Aquarius, Deliria, and Bloody Bird, whatever you’d like to call it – is a triumphant call back to a half decade earlier when slashers were full of kinetic energy,...

Rejoice! Michele Soavi's contribution to the '80s slasher genre, Stagefright, is coming to Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground. Fangoria says it will get the usual care and sweet sweet lovin' that Blue Underground bestows most of its transfers (1.85:1 hi-def transfer/1080p). There will also be a wide range of extras. The film concerns a theater troupe who are menaced by a killer named Irving Wallace, who dons an owl masks and stalks the actors of the doomed play they're at work on.

The post Important: Michele Soavi’s StageFright is Coming to Blu-ray! appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.

The screening of the new Fox show "Sleepy Hollow" took up most of the session, but the audience clearly didn't mind. Producer Alex Kurtzman introduced the show by saying, "We are so excited you are the first full audience to see the show." After the episode ended and the crowd roared with enthusiasm, I'm sure he was, if anything, more excited. "Sleepy Hollow" does more than update the Irving Wallace story. While the Headless Horseman does appear, more importantly so does Ichabod Crane, woken from a 250 year sleep. He soon crosses paths with police lieutenant Abby Mills (Nicole Beharie). Although...

Review By Chris Wright, MoreHorror.com

Directed by: Michele Soavi

Written by: George Eastman & Sheila Goldberg

Starring: Barbara Cupisti (Alicia), David Brandon (Peter), Mary Sellers (Laurel), Robert Gligorov (Danny), Jo Ann Smith (Sybil), Giovanni Lombardo Radice (Brett), Martin Philips (Mark), Piero Vida (Ferrari), Loredana Parrella (Corinne), Ulrike Schwerk (Betty), Domenico (Police Chief), Clain Parker (Irving Wallace)

The slasher genre had long come to a close by the time “Stage Fright” came about, but it did its part in giving a tired genre a refreshing spark of life. Its original title is “Deliria” and also known as “StageFright: Aquarius.” Italian director Michele Soavi delivered a gory forgotten slasher gem in his directorial debut. In the tradition of Dario Argento, whom he had worked with in production of several films with, he uses his surreal style to deliver a near hypnotic feel to the movie at times. This Italian flick was...

Joe Dante leads us through Cold War melodrama "The Prize" (1963), starring Paul Newman, Edward G. Robinson and Elke Sommer.  Adapted by Ernest Lehman from the Irving Wallace potboiler set during the Nobel Prize ceremonies in Stockholm, Lehman borrows liberally from his own Hitchcock classic "North by Northwest," which also stars Leo G. Carroll. Among a talented comedic cast, future Bond girl Britt Ekland can be seen in her first Hollywood movie in a bit part as a nudist, no less--"A Shot in the Dark" came the following year.  Watch the trailer below and learn more here.  ...

Last weekend brought the release of Scream 4, and the return of one of horror’s most recognizable villains. Ghostface has been many different people, but the face always remains the same – that elongated, black-and-white mask, inspired by the figure in Edvard Munch’s painting “The Scream.” Wes Craven turned that boring Halloween store mask into something truly iconic. Of course, Ghostface was not the first or last horror baddie to don a scary mask. Here are some other villains whose fake faces have haunted our nightmares.

The Legends

The Shape/Michael Myers, Halloween (1978)

This infamous face is one of the plainest masks in horror history, and yet it remains the most terrifying. Perhaps William Shatner is to blame for that, as the mask was created in his likeness. Fashioned from a Captain Kirk Halloween mask, the pale, emotionless face perfectly matches the cold, soulless demeanor of “The Shape” (as...

I’ve been saving this one for a while, ever since Now-President Barack Obama was chosen as the Democratic candidate against Senator John McCain. It seemed appropriate to finally release this today. The Man is a 1972 drama directed by Joseph Sargent, based on the 1964 novel by bestselling author Irving Wallace. Both the novel and film examine the social and political consequences of a black man becoming the President of the United States. Although Wallace himself started out as a screenwriter, the movie adaptation of his novel was penned by none other than Rod Sterling. Why Rod Sterling? Maybe because, at the time, the idea of an African-American President sounded like something out of The Twilight Zone.

Sidney Poitier's Best Actor Oscar for the 1963 film Lilies of the Field was seen as a major breakthrough in terms of American civil rights. Today's the big day- the inauguration of our new President. It's refreshing to see both his political supporters and opponents coming together to wish Barack Obama good luck with the challenges that lie before him. American politics have been very divisive in recent years, so here's hoping the honeymoon lasts for a while. Meanwhile, The New York Times has an insightful piece examining how Hollywood helped pave the way for the public's acceptance of a black president. It's not as far-fetched as you might think. A 1972 film called The Man was based on the Irving Wallace novel and featured the premise of a black senate leader being unexpectedly thrust into the presidency. The scenario seemed so unlikely that Rod Serling wrote the screenplay! The film starred James Earl Jones.