I knew a film elitist once who practically bathed in the “Technicolor” hues of Any Given Sunday— a relatively forgettable football drama which he praised simply because of its color. There was just one problem. There is no Technicolor— not…
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I’ve made my feelings known about the non-existent “auteur” theory and the ridiculous concept of “one vision.” The following is my response to one film elitist who claimed that Orson Welles had his “vision” of Citizen Kane all mapped out…
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) may be the Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger masterpiece. I find it astounding that it was produced in the midst of a second world war by a country totally under siege since it is…
I may be the only film programmer on this continent to have done a retrospective on director William Dieterle– and I know I’m the only one to administer a Facebook group on him. Admittedly, the majority of moviegoers, even the…
Abbott & Costello were brilliant at what they did. Like them or not, they were experts in their chosen field. The proof is in the routines, in the delivery, in the timing. Set aside the physical stuff and concentrate on…
A post on one of my least favorite “major” directors– Mr. Freeze himself, Otto Preminger. Otto Preminger was a hack– at best, a functioning director on the level of a Lew Landers. His fame, or rather his notoriety, rests solely…
Rebel Without a Cause (1955) is a film that may show up at some point at the Pickwick Theatre Classic Film Series, but it won’t be because I want to see it. Nicholas Ray was a great, intuitive filmmaker, and…
I used to program movie serials and played three of the very best at the LaSalle Bank Theatre in Chicago: Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars (1938), Dick Tracy’s G-Men (1939) and Spy Smasher (1942)– the latter being my choice for…
The following is a previously unpublished piece on one of my favorite ’50s screen monsters… Revenge of the Creature (1955) is a fun favorite from childhood, but occasionally I see misinformation printed about the film, specifically in regards to stuntman…
“As a piece of comic architecture, it’s impeccable.” ~ Orson Welles Safety Last! (1923) contains one of the most famous shots in motion picture history: the sight of Harold Lloyd hanging from the hands of a clock. Even those who…