tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86920224705258594112024-03-14T04:48:12.727-04:00Big Screen ClassicsWelcome to Big Screen Classics, a blog devoted to discussions and reviews of classic and not-so-classic Hollywood movies on both the big screen and your home screen. Plus a whole lot more: movie soundtracks, home theater technology, and whatever else crosses my mind. Your comments are welcomed and encouraged. Your host - Pete Apruzzese. Please note that we are not affiliated with TCM's "Big Screen Classics" movie series or the Lafayette Theatre. bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-42399520484277270652017-09-21T15:02:00.000-04:002017-09-21T15:02:24.360-04:002017 Vacation Photos in 3-DOnce again, an indulgence. Please check out these 3-D photos (via the link below) from September 2017 on Cape Cod if you have the time. If you have a pair of anaglyph red/cyan glasses handy, the red goes over the left eye. These are from my FujiFilm W3 3-D camera and have had only basic vertical alignment done. You can also view these via cross-eye, parallel, Occulus, etc. Just check the options at the bottom of the screen for your preferred viewing method. Full screen is recommended.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://phereo.com/album/59b754c78884284510000004" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Cape Cod 2017 3-D Photos</span></b></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-74228907014291937922017-05-26T14:04:00.001-04:002017-05-26T14:04:35.282-04:00Happy Birthday to Peter Cushing, OBE: 5/26/1913<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPAIsmX-as2m53egJV3Cnt3nGVNiA-tU_QlG05nsY2RmIPq3crmYM5gYuu9MhEE3-NaDIynI1TY25lSTG7iddrdoybvMC7sjavyPGPREIXfJrdxrMJ98y0bkhUWeNerK3GposIxWSNjA/s1600/006-peter-cushing-theredlist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="1280" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPAIsmX-as2m53egJV3Cnt3nGVNiA-tU_QlG05nsY2RmIPq3crmYM5gYuu9MhEE3-NaDIynI1TY25lSTG7iddrdoybvMC7sjavyPGPREIXfJrdxrMJ98y0bkhUWeNerK3GposIxWSNjA/s640/006-peter-cushing-theredlist.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><a href="http://petercushingblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society</a></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DbPU75gfJTI/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DbPU75gfJTI?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-71691250571897496682017-05-23T15:01:00.001-04:002017-05-25T09:50:37.896-04:00RIP Sir Roger Moore<b>RIP, Sir Roger Moore</b><br />
<br />
He was the first Bond I ever saw theatrically - 1973's LIVE AND LET DIE - and for that reason is still my favorite even if he's not regarded as the "best" Bond.<br />
<br />
This is an even better legacy:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
UNICEF executive director Anthony Lake said in a statement. "In his most famous roles as an actor, Sir Roger was the epitome of cool sophistication; but in his work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, he was a passionate – and highly persuasive – advocate for children. He once said that it was up to all of us to give children a more peaceful future. Together with [his wife] Lady Kristina, he worked very hard to do so."</blockquote>
The Hollywood Reporter offers a detailed obituary <b><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/roger-moore-dead-james-bond-839882" target="_blank">HERE</a></b><br />
<br />
The Spy Command presents a fan's view <a href="https://hmssweblog.wordpress.com/2017/05/23/roger-moore-7-time-film-007-dies-at-89/" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a><br />
<br />
Trailer for my favorite Roger Moore 007 outing, 1983's <b>OCTOPUSSY</b>:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lChY6hZNtWw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lChY6hZNtWw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>5/25/2017 UPDATE:</b><br />
<b>Two items from my collection.</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheY5fdh-hdQWDTR_kOvJ4e1t0MPHujqU4FPPyF8y1r2PYGbmv2_pJh0Je21n-dg1t2cVus6qWYtNwFaGO-mnKEZAvX3haNo-r6lUUz2NH8wTcYA2ZttYvccCDXRtY0CC_04-QxPo9JuQ/s1600/IMG_2761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="569" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheY5fdh-hdQWDTR_kOvJ4e1t0MPHujqU4FPPyF8y1r2PYGbmv2_pJh0Je21n-dg1t2cVus6qWYtNwFaGO-mnKEZAvX3haNo-r6lUUz2NH8wTcYA2ZttYvccCDXRtY0CC_04-QxPo9JuQ/s400/IMG_2761.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVbDs9b-oeqP_LniKs-ODDRC0vUJNF_5-4c-FPyfo2_EJWzvXS18jcphpxUhhXDaA6uyZY8e0VeUTiy7dyGUoslHMO5YxiOqnoQTFQnkLl5WTaF92eKGVij6q-ZznXnerSqfmhWTNKQ/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="383" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVbDs9b-oeqP_LniKs-ODDRC0vUJNF_5-4c-FPyfo2_EJWzvXS18jcphpxUhhXDaA6uyZY8e0VeUTiy7dyGUoslHMO5YxiOqnoQTFQnkLl5WTaF92eKGVij6q-ZznXnerSqfmhWTNKQ/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="380" /></a></div>
<br />bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-78511159889163439872017-05-16T16:42:00.001-04:002017-05-16T16:42:10.163-04:00RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive<b><span style="font-size: large;">RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKW3PPQElBX2CRtwHtIuKBGubyuIzhZstXBDZYmcOGciE329Rc_Qg7ItBGYfaH0OS73HQptBXCk9Gi3V_z14GXfJSVdxBisdUi3uNEfNDj80nldPchBUFCX_MyYsGlgrB36Xl2JcWPSw/s1600/RIDE+1000642536.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKW3PPQElBX2CRtwHtIuKBGubyuIzhZstXBDZYmcOGciE329Rc_Qg7ItBGYfaH0OS73HQptBXCk9Gi3V_z14GXfJSVdxBisdUi3uNEfNDj80nldPchBUFCX_MyYsGlgrB36Xl2JcWPSw/s200/RIDE+1000642536.png" width="152" /></a><b>Starring Joel McCrea, Randolph Scott, Mariette Hartley, Ronald Starr</b><br />
<b>Music by </b><b>George Bassman</b><br />
<b>Cinematography by </b><b>Lucien Ballard</b><br />
<b>Film Editing by </b><b>Frank Santillo</b><br />
<b>Written by N.B. Stone Jr.</b><br />
<b>Produced by Richard E. Lyons</b><br />
<b>Directed by Sam Peckinpah</b><br />
<br />
Blu-ray Disc Specs: AVC-encoded 1080p/2.35 widescreen/DTS-HD 2.0 mono/optional English subtitles/Street Date: 4/4/2017/$21.99 srp/Warner Archive Collection<br />
<br />
Film information: Released by MGM/94 minutes/1962/Metrocolor/CinemaScope<br />
<br />
I'm very pleased to offer a few words about a terrific new Blu-ray release from the folks at the Warner Archive Collection: Sam Peckinpah's<b> RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY</b> starring Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott. It was released back on Blu-ray in April and I finally got this on the big screen the other night. It's a western set in an indeterminate time period but definitely the same end-of-the-west era as "The Wild Bunch" since there are also appearances by motorcars early on. While it seems it might be a conventional western - man hired to guard a gold dust shipment hires an old friend as his backup yet the old friend has something else on his mind - it's much more than that. The movie is simply phenomenal - it comes alive through the history that's etched in the faces of our two leading men. Scott relishing the thought of convincing his friend to abscond with the gold... McCrea reciting that he just wants to "Go into my House justified" - fantastic moments from these two screen legends at the end of their careers. I got a genuine thrill when Scott comes riding back in to rescue his partner; sitting there alone and I wanted to cheer like I did the first time I saw it 35 years ago. [For you kids, it's like when Han Solo unexpectedly comes back to help Luke during the attack on the Death Star in Star Wars...but even better.]<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguO1Yq_oXskmfIAKxzkbHoSrBwEtQyJi92DXeo0Cw74-84kFXhtEfEbeQ5biJ6tSwMbHzfIwD01Cu2DG5MeQ5axAB2fZYcjpKDG6dWhIwONwOKVjpHeoSAp_WSdDYgq8wsolHwjokgoQ/s1600/dont-worry-570x241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguO1Yq_oXskmfIAKxzkbHoSrBwEtQyJi92DXeo0Cw74-84kFXhtEfEbeQ5biJ6tSwMbHzfIwD01Cu2DG5MeQ5axAB2fZYcjpKDG6dWhIwONwOKVjpHeoSAp_WSdDYgq8wsolHwjokgoQ/s400/dont-worry-570x241.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
As for the Blu-ray, wow, what a beautiful transfer (aside from the windowboxed main titles which is wholly unnecessary at this point with flat screens). I don't have a reference other than seeing 35mm repertory prints back in the 80s, and the old DVD, but this Blu-ray looks fantastic color-wise and every other-wise. Detail and stability are perfect. Warner says that this is a brand-new film scan and mastering and nothing on-screen betrays that. Audio is DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono and is likewise solid. The disc has an audio commentary by the 'Peckinpah mafia': Paul Seydor, Nick Redman, Garnet Simmons, and David Weddle which I sampled for a few minutes - it's full of details about Peckinpah and the production of the film so I look forward to listening to it in its entirety some day...maybe after I retire. There's also a 23 minute featurette entitled "A Justified Life: Sam Peckinpah and the High Country" which was produced for the 2006 DVD release and tells about Sam's early life via clips, photos, etc., interviews with his sister, and more. Pretty essential viewing for a Pekinpah fan as it gives a good insight into his personal history that fuels the themes of many of his films.<br />
<br />
Don't hesitate...this is one of the great ones. <b>Get it right now.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hRXqBb9E8SY/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hRXqBb9E8SY?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-29581772685704873802017-04-28T23:59:00.000-04:002018-01-04T16:48:32.222-05:00Preview - THOSE REDHEADS FROM SEATTLE 3-D Blu-ray<script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({
google_ad_client: "ca-pub-9502248115079968",
enable_page_level_ads: true
});
</script>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAXrjcg9iPl1lnyCvC8HgH_VWcqAbtNCfx-8X0OHtGWa6Yp2ZUy_7zjG1-uKzb3U5uIuW7JVjSOw4GEMUrTAhcApFabIi1UP8GhijRe68-MqOFodWAAc7UmjqH3VMDREzbVI30y-Lrg/s1600/redheads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAXrjcg9iPl1lnyCvC8HgH_VWcqAbtNCfx-8X0OHtGWa6Yp2ZUy_7zjG1-uKzb3U5uIuW7JVjSOw4GEMUrTAhcApFabIi1UP8GhijRe68-MqOFodWAAc7UmjqH3VMDREzbVI30y-Lrg/s320/redheads.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Street Date: May 23, 2017; from Kino Lorber</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
From the box copy:<br />
<i>Newly Restored in HD and 3-D from 2K Scans! A married woman (Agnes Moorehead) takes her four unmarried redheaded daughters (Rhonda Fleming, Teresa Brewer, Cynthia and Kay Bell of The Bell Sisters) to Alaska during the 1898 Gold Rush so they could help their father run his newspaper. All four are members of the singing sister act The Edmonds Sisters, and upon arriving in Yukon they find out their father was murdered. The four heroines get work at the saloon owned by Johnny Kisco (Gene Barry). Kathie Edmonds (Fleming) searches for her father's murderer, who may or may not be Kisco. Hollywood veteran Lewis R. Foster directed this wonderful and colorful musical, which was the first ever 3-D musical and the first widescreen film released by Paramount Pictures.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Special Features: Audio Commentary by Film Historians Hillary Hess, Greg Kintz, Jack Theakston and Bob Furmanek | 2006 Interview with Rhonda Fleming | Before/After Restoration Demo | Original Theatrical Trailer</i><br />
-----<br />
<br />
Bob Furmanek of the 3-D Film Archive was kind enough to share with me a final check disc (a clone of the actual retail product) for the upcoming Blu-ray 3-D release of the 1953 musical THOSE REDHEADS FROM SEATTLE for review. Kino Lorber, in association with the 3-D Film Archive, licensed the film for release from Paramount who supplied new 2K scans of the original left & right elements for final restoration by the 3-D Film Archives team. Note that as with all 3-D Blu-ray releases this is also view-able in 2-D on all systems.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAxMQ6LUtL_J9_qVwWPVxLNPjT5i2HYcBioK14Vp8gMpst9e1ynR7c8RIJr5VgzfzGAwtMY-umwcehDujxNLQW2BjGCbnfytziLco5Cvr5jP6lLVMP__fEWf2o16Na110LF8TCB-OrQ/s1600/barry.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAxMQ6LUtL_J9_qVwWPVxLNPjT5i2HYcBioK14Vp8gMpst9e1ynR7c8RIJr5VgzfzGAwtMY-umwcehDujxNLQW2BjGCbnfytziLco5Cvr5jP6lLVMP__fEWf2o16Na110LF8TCB-OrQ/s200/barry.gif" width="196" /></a></div>
As usual for these reviews, I'm not going to comment extensively on the film itself. While no one would mistake it for an Arthur Freed MGM production, the film is still a winner based on the enthusiasm and energy of the performances. Gene Barry (who doesn't sing), Rhonda Fleming, Agnes Moorehead, Teresa Brewer, The Bell Sisters, and Guy Mitchell are charming and I enjoyed my time with them. Safe to say that if you enjoy musicals, you'll find much to like here even though there are only five or six musical numbers. The western mining town location offers considerable opportunity for outdoor action and interior decoration (a combination bar/music hall stage) for the cast to work in.<br />
<br />
What is of significant interest with THOSE REDHEADS FROM SEATTLE is the resulting 3-D Blu-ray experience and it's nothing short of terrific. It features wonderful depth with several fun off-screen moments (yes, including the dancers' legs - for once a movie poster didn't completely lie). As with the majority of the 1950's "Golden Age of 3-D" movies, the original stereoscopic photography (by Lionel Linden) is superb and features a marvelous use of depth-layering compositions to give a genuine "you are there" feel to many scenes. After viewing this disc - the first time I've seen the film in 3-D in about 10 years - I would place its 3-D photography in the top ten of the Golden Age.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4RkjeKHnKcEFGhDG2BGgWx_MfeQzKrOyXU6uMco6eP7TrbSvIu7d_qrg6RLTK_XIJIYGjOeH5evl24wncATWXHWQk7EOlf9SvkN_Afckh9RgbSXGRowT1jwJjyEIwGv3gsaAU3K0fg/s1600/Redheads-before-after_zpsfrf3habw.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4RkjeKHnKcEFGhDG2BGgWx_MfeQzKrOyXU6uMco6eP7TrbSvIu7d_qrg6RLTK_XIJIYGjOeH5evl24wncATWXHWQk7EOlf9SvkN_Afckh9RgbSXGRowT1jwJjyEIwGv3gsaAU3K0fg/s400/Redheads-before-after_zpsfrf3habw.gif" width="332" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Top - before color correction; Bottom - after color correction</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The restoration demo on the disc's special features presents the Archives' Greg Kintz detailing many of the problems they encountered while restoring this film. Just this before-and-after image should give you a small idea of the results, but there was much more done including vertical alignment (which reduces eyestrain), dust/debris cleanup (by Thad Komorowski), panel matching, etc. This section is easily my favorite part of the special features since it clearly shows how much work went into the restoration of the originally intended look of the film. There may be naysayers who claim that these Blu-ray 3-D restorations can't be performed at the budget the Archive works with, but the results on display here belie this view.<br />
<br />
The Blu-ray also features a newly-created lossless DTS-MA 3.0 reconstruction of the original three channel (left-center-right) stereophonic soundtrack plus, in a move which makes my purist heart happy, it also contains the original mono track in lossless form. Bob tells me that the original three channel sound was lost years ago, so audio engineer Eckhard Büttner took the original music and sound elements and was able to create a convincing stereo sound field from them, including some directional dialogue, The result is terrific, even in critical listening mode I wouldn't have guessed it wasn't the original stereo. There is none of that "electronically reprocessed for stereo" sound effect that we all hated on records from the 50s and 60s, nor did they try to create a modern booming 5.1 sound mix. What's there is natural-sounding to the era of the film's creation. This is an outstanding 1950s film soundtrack.<br />
<br />
<b>Special Features:</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Interview with Rhonda Fleming from 2006.</li>
<li>Restoration demonstration, hosted by Greg Kintz (noted above), view-able in 3-D or 2-D.</li>
<li>Audio commentary, featuring film historians Bob Furmanek, Hillary Hess, Jack Theakston. This is a very informative track that is the first commentary on a 3-D Blu-ray that concentrates on the 3-D production of the film as well as the history of the 3-D Film Archive. Greg Kintz joins at the intermission and provides additional details about both the film and the Archive's restoration efforts. An interesting item that Hillary picks up on is the extensive use of mirrors and windows in many shots, which really come alive in the 3-D presentation.</li>
<li>Theatrical Trailer (not looking anything like the feature)</li>
<li>Visual/audio demonstration of the three-channel stereo sound reconstruction.</li>
</ul>
<br />
In case it's not clear from all of the above, I heartily recommend the 3-D Blu-ray of THOSE REDHEADS FROM SEATTLE. no lover of vintage 3-D will want to be without it. You'll find more historical information about the film and its release at the 3-D Film Archive's website <a href="http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/those-redheads-from-seattle" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
<br />
Available for purchase from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Redheads-Seattle-Blu-ray-Rhonda-Fleming/dp/B06XS1Y9MD" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.deepdiscount.com/those-redheads-from-seattle/738329211592" target="_blank">Deep Discount</a>, <a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/those-redheads-from-seattle-blu-ray-1953/32786708.p?skuId=32786708" target="_blank">Best Buy</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dvd-those-redheads-from-seattle-rhonda-fleming/3945439?ean=0738329211592" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a>, <a href="http://www.bullmoose.com/p/24932463/those-redheads-from-seattle-fleming-barry-moorehead-blu-ray-nr" target="_blank">Bullmoose</a>, <a href="http://www.importcds.com/those-redheads-from-seattle/738329211592" target="_blank">ImportCDs</a> and most other online retailers, as well as direct from <a href="https://www.kinolorber.com/product/view/id/4079" target="_blank">Kino Lorber</a>. Street date is May 23, 2017; suggested retail price is $34.95.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/N53VecGnPtM/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N53VecGnPtM?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
All images courtesy of the 3-D Film Archive. Reviewed on an Optoma HD50 DLP projector, custom-built 1.0 gain acoustically-transparent screen, Denon processor/amplifier, Polk and Paradigm speakers. 3-D viewed via Estar & True-Depth DLP-Link and Optoma RF glasses.bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-13233520344853250612017-04-28T09:18:00.000-04:002017-04-28T09:18:05.589-04:00Enough! Stop with the Sale Prices!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqEg52OY0iliMdNL-eFLyEke0D8ycuOpUPFmBXpJde__hyphenhyphenHkh4ba2l_mEmyqXZbptDFSbMlU4zi1v5ZogjL6vS65s_sntjUVlEOhOpsH8-n_TIV-7Rcd1Q7WxrPr0XY2XSg4tw2bqhQ/s1600/IMG_2695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqEg52OY0iliMdNL-eFLyEke0D8ycuOpUPFmBXpJde__hyphenhyphenHkh4ba2l_mEmyqXZbptDFSbMlU4zi1v5ZogjL6vS65s_sntjUVlEOhOpsH8-n_TIV-7Rcd1Q7WxrPr0XY2XSg4tw2bqhQ/s640/IMG_2695.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Attention Blu-ray and DVD labels: please stop with your bargain-priced sales. How do you expect me to keep up and watch all this? Plus it's NHL Playoff season.<br />
<br />
Thank you.bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-50897469789328667532016-08-19T11:13:00.001-04:002016-09-15T14:30:26.506-04:00Coming Soon: IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE on 3-D Blu-ray<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiYfDlWvLCF-ed9xkZKowO2Beb0CcCDTCSVoouZxCoSDeneMnPHVRyt6u8WL-FCcNBOfxUF20yN1JDx_vFMG7ZKuJ4ycwTYk87rAwbgGVegZN5kjlW9MbLr9rCoPG9cIrCt8Q3fz55vw/s1600/ICFOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiYfDlWvLCF-ed9xkZKowO2Beb0CcCDTCSVoouZxCoSDeneMnPHVRyt6u8WL-FCcNBOfxUF20yN1JDx_vFMG7ZKuJ4ycwTYk87rAwbgGVegZN5kjlW9MbLr9rCoPG9cIrCt8Q3fz55vw/s320/ICFOS.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
8/30/16 UPDATE: Bob Furmanek just announced the following update: <i>The upcoming 3-D Blu-ray release of IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE is Region-free and has the following extras: 3-D trailer, 2002 featurette on the history of the film, commentary track by historian Tom Weaver and closed-captioning! It is also available from Amazon Canada and Amazon UK.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>-----</i><br />
<br />
This post is just a little preview of the upcoming 3-D Blu-ray release of the 1953 favorite <b>IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE</b>, coming on <b>10/4/2016</b> from Universal Home Video and available initially as a retail exclusive at<b> </b><a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/it-came-from-outer-space-blu-ray-3d/5622264.p?id=3622777&skuId=5622264" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Best Buy</a> (link updated 9/15), with general availability at other retailers to be announced at a later date.<br />
<br />
[Note that this will not be the red/green anaglyph conversion from the 1970s that came out on VHS tape at one time, but a modern Blu-ray 3-D version of the original dual-strip film elements.]<br />
<br />
I was recently granted the opportunity to see a preview of the final 3-D Blu-ray master that will be used for this release. Bob Furmanek, head of the <b><a href="http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/" target="_blank">3-D Film Archive</a></b>, invited me plus several others to view the master on his setup utilizing an Epson 5030 LCD projector running an image about 8 feet wide.<br />
<br />
The results, courtesy of Archive Technical Director Greg Kintz's 3-D alignment and panel matching, are nothing short of superb. I ran a 35mm dual-strip Polarized print at the Lafayette Theatre, plus I've seen it several times via this same process, and the 3-D Blu-ray is even better. Greg managed to correct 99.9 % of the errors in the original (there is one shot that Bob described as being impossible to fix - I think it lasts 4 seconds - and I didn't notice it while we watched the movie) and it just looks great.<br />
<br />
And there's a huge upgrade in the sound department - they were able to access the last surviving element of the original <b>3-track stereo master</b> (Left-Center-Right) and have preserved the original - v e r y w i d e - dynamic range and channel placement. The previous DVD used a tamed-down version of this mix and hearing the Blu-ray is a revelation.<br />
<br />
I'll follow up this post with a full review when the Blu-ray hits the street, but this posting can serve as a preview and assurance that you can safely <a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/it-came-from-outer-space-blu-ray-3d/32058414.p?id=3622777&skuId=32058414" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pre-order</a> this science fiction classic with confidence.<br />
<br />
For more information about the film and its history, go to the <b><a href="http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/it-came-from-outer-space" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">3-D Film Archive</a>.</b><br />
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<br />
<br />bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-91370252999061431232016-08-02T12:16:00.001-04:002016-08-08T16:56:29.094-04:00Some 3-D Photography ExperimentsAn indulgence, please check these out if you have the time. If you have a pair of anaglyph red/cyan glasses handy, the red goes over the left eye. These are the first test images from my FujiFilm W3 3-D camera. You can also view these via cross-eye, parallel, Occulus, etc.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://phereo.com/578e8ce28884287a1f000004" target="_blank"><b>My 3-D Album at Phereo</b></a>bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-48697430540831287542016-08-02T10:02:00.000-04:002016-08-08T16:56:57.999-04:00The Only Candidate Worth Fighting For<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>He's got my vote.</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0TNXEMLdHjzlheqWVV8hRT6-HHfXACT_RZ3dJPlB0vrqLwjeh01v5H-tdV2Ri-un5KWgPdz__KuBbo_9ccKgxOH4Rc6ht2qe02hZMXTGQ1pYag2CpDnnGXH19EVmC6NmfU-HJIF0WtA/s1600/vote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0TNXEMLdHjzlheqWVV8hRT6-HHfXACT_RZ3dJPlB0vrqLwjeh01v5H-tdV2Ri-un5KWgPdz__KuBbo_9ccKgxOH4Rc6ht2qe02hZMXTGQ1pYag2CpDnnGXH19EVmC6NmfU-HJIF0WtA/s320/vote.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-30434297994028755322016-03-23T22:31:00.001-04:002016-04-07T07:34:03.249-04:00Blu-ray review: "Gog" in 3-D<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Saved from near-oblivion by the 3-D Film Archive, the science fiction favorite <b>GOG</b> gets a new lease on life via this stunning 3-D Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics</span></i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>GOG Blu-ray 3D specifications</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Distributed By: Kino Lorber Studio Classics</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Video Resolution: 1080p high definition</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Presented in original theatrical 3-D or alternate 2-D</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 widescreen</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Audio: DTS-HD MA 2.0 (mono)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Feature Running Time: 85 minutes</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Blu-ray street date: 03/1/2016</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
srp: $34.95</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Blu-ray provided for review courtesy of the <a href="http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">3-D Film Archive</a></div>
<br />
<br />
(<b>GOG</b>, 1954, directed by Herbert L. Strock, written by Tom Taggart and Richard G. Taylor from a story by Ivan Tors, produced by Ivan Tors, photographed in color & Natural Vision 3-D by Lothrop B. Worth, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, music by Harry Sukman; starring Richard Egan, Constance Dowling, Herbert Marshall, John Wengraf, Philip Van Zandt, Michael Fox, William Schallert; theatrically released by United Artists)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LElSVysU49Q/VrOqibRGS4I/AAAAAAAANIU/rroZRqVBLyE/s1600/126368_front.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LElSVysU49Q/VrOqibRGS4I/AAAAAAAANIU/rroZRqVBLyE/s320/126368_front.gif" width="263" /></a></div>
<b>Studio Synopsis</b><br />
In a remote, underground research laboratory two scientists, engaged in space travel research, are frozen to death in a cold chamber when their instruments comes under the control of an unknown power. A security agent, Dr. David Sheppard (Richard Egan, <i>The 300 Spartans</i>) arrives at the secret space research base, home of two experimental robots to investigate the possible sabotage. Early in his investigation, Sheppard finds that the underground laboratory under the control of the Supercomputer NOVAC and experimental robots GOG and MAGOG. Herbert L. Strock (<i>The Crawling Hand</i>) directed this Sci-Fi/Horror classic with a stellar cast that includes Constance Dowling (<i>Black Angel</i>), Herbert Marshall (<i>The Letter</i>) and William Schallert (TV's "The Patty Duke Show").<br />
<br />
<b>About the film</b><br />
Fans of early 1950's science fiction films are in for a treat with this new Blu-ray release of <b><i>Gog</i></b>, the third in producer Ivan Tors' OSI Trilogy (The Office of Scientific Investigation): <i>The Magnetic Monster</i> (1951), <i>Riders to the Stars</i> (1953), and <i>Gog</i> (1954). The trilogy presented hard science fiction ideas in an entertaining - and occasionally juvenile - manner, surrounded by laboratory equipment, stoic leading men, lots of exposition, and colorful action. <i>Gog</i> is the culmination of the trilogy, telling its story of an underground space exploration lab besieged by unexplained sabotage. Is it caused by the Commies or an alien invasion? In 1954, you paid your 49 cents on a Saturday afternoon matinee and waited to find out. But unless you were in one of five California theaters, you didn't get to see <i>Gog</i> in its intended 3-D form. Its dimensional release was severely curtailed by distributor United Artists as it was coming at the very end of the 3-D craze.<br />
<br />
Featuring an intriguing circular multi-level lab - which must have inspired the very similar design in Michael Crichton's novel and film of <i>The Andromeda Strain</i> - <i>Gog</i> was still a visual treat even in 2-D, color & widescreen and was fondly remembered by science fiction fans. Those fans were ill-served by the the film's television distribution where the majority of the prints were converted to black & white. During the DVD era, MGM released it via their manufacture-on-demand service, but again in only full-frame open-matte 2-D (harming the intended widescreen compositions) and from an element that had seen better days. For years, there didn't seem to be any hope to ever see the film again in 3-D. But that's where the story takes a happy turn and things get interesting.<br />
<br />
<b>About the Blu-ray & Restoration</b><br />
<br />
As described in the Restoration Featurette on the disc, <b><i>Gog</i></b> was lost in its 3-D version for many years as the studio only maintained materials for the "right eye"; remember that 3-D movies contain two separate images: a "left eye" and a "right eye". The <b>3-D Film Archive</b> tracked down the last surviving left eye print - in a totally faded-to-pink condition - nearly five decades later. Working in cooperation with MGM (who now owns the film) and supported by Kino Lorber, Bob Furmanek and Greg Kintz of the Archive began a months-long restoration to bring the film back to 3-D life for a Blu-ray release. Using numerous proprietary techniques, the Archive was able to return color to the left eye and then do a painstaking shot-by-shot matching of the color, image alignment, and cleanup of debris on the left and right prints. The result is an outstanding 3-D presentation on the Blu-ray. I was been lucky enough to see the original 3-D print a number of years ago in dual-projection polarized 35mm and this version gives a far better representation of the original film. The full story is told in the restoration featurette on the Blu-ray and on the Archive's <b><a href="http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/gog" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a></b>.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x4t0bsRPANQ/VrOs16BrHOI/AAAAAAAANJk/I5dGpcu6sRk/s1600/Gog-LC5%25281%2529.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x4t0bsRPANQ/VrOs16BrHOI/AAAAAAAANJk/I5dGpcu6sRk/s320/Gog-LC5%25281%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lobby Card image courtesy of the 3-D Film Archive</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Belying the myth the 3-D films from the 1950's were always filled with eye-poking off-screen effects, <b><i>Gog</i></b> instead uses depth to draw the audience into its environment. The staging of the scenes emphasizes the size of the underground laboratory. The use of depth betrays the low budget the film was produced under - all the sets look larger than they really are. Many scenes have multiple layers of action showcased - there's a particularly striking sequence about 7 minutes in that shows foreground action, background action and then another level of depth shot through a window. This type of depth exploitation has rarely been used in modern Hollywood 3-D films, with the possible exception of Martin Scorsese's <i>Hugo</i>, and is sorely missed. When the action gets moving in the final third, we are treated to a good selection of off-screen effects: notably a flamethrower and the wild gesticulating arms of the rampaging robots. Director Herbert L. Strock suffered from monocular vision (just as <i>House of Wax</i>'s Andre de Toth did) so he relied on cinematographer Lothrop B. Worth (plus Natural Vision Supervisor M.L. Gunzberg, visual consultant Julian Gunzburg M.D., and Natural Vision consultant O.S. Bryan) to help him stage scenes to maximize the 3-D effects. The result is one of the best photographed 3-D films of its era, certainly equal to the efforts of the major studios. And all of it is presented for you ghost and artifact free on this Blu-ray.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Bonus features on the Blu-ray include an informative Audio Commentary by Tom Weaver, Bob Furmanek and David Schecter; a lengthy featurette on the restoration, archival interviews with director Herbert L. Strock and cinematographer Lothrop B. Worth, and trailers.<br />
<br />
<b>For fans of vintage 3-D, you can't go wrong with GOG</b>. <b>Highly recommended - buy it now.</b><br />
<br />
Here is a brief peek at the restoration (the full version of the Restoration Featurette is on the Blu-ray; as an added bonus this short is filmed and presented in 3-D):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LS4ugGmU15Y/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="316" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LS4ugGmU15Y?feature=player_embedded" width="560"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
The original trailer (unrestored version):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-Haw0Ua-tG0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="316" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-Haw0Ua-tG0?feature=player_embedded" width="560"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
For even more information on <b>Gog</b>, visit the <b>3-D Film Archive <a href="http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/gog" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a></b>.<br />
<br />
Reviewed via a Vivitek DLP 1080p 3-D projector (ISF calibrated), EstarAmerica DLP-Link glasses, custom acoustically-transparent screen (100" diagonal), Sony Blu-ray player, Denon receiver, Paradigm speakers.<br />
<br />
<br />bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-44699447642902448382016-03-23T00:43:00.002-04:002016-03-23T09:33:42.608-04:00Blu-ray Review: "Experiment in Terror" from Twilight Time<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Blu-ray specifications:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Distributed by Twilight Time under license from Sony Pictures</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Video Resolution: 1080p high definition</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 widescreen; Film Audio: DTS-HD Master 5.1</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Feature Running Time: 123 minutes</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
srp: $29.95</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Limited Edition of 3000 copies, still available as of 3/22/2016 exclusively from <a href="http://www.screenarchives.com/" target="_blank">Screen Archives Entertainment</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Source: Reviewer purchased copy</div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9vBBqmeMPUSaopPRJwMi-dSBpin5EIZMFvzIkWC7A0GaDFBHJgNHENzjhfVpX45HgAN5yrrizdEx7D9eQm648ldTcudmFfbjRoZVD3cIXn8LEp7F6dRWSNgZI77Jp-D7zEKZ2nK1FNg/s640/blogger-image-1394926044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9vBBqmeMPUSaopPRJwMi-dSBpin5EIZMFvzIkWC7A0GaDFBHJgNHENzjhfVpX45HgAN5yrrizdEx7D9eQm648ldTcudmFfbjRoZVD3cIXn8LEp7F6dRWSNgZI77Jp-D7zEKZ2nK1FNg/s640/blogger-image-1394926044.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Did I wake you up Kelly?"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b>Experiment in Terror</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
1962, Theatrically Released by Columbia Pictures</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Produced & Directed by Blake Edwards</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Written by The Gordons, based on their novel "Operation Terror"</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Music by Henry Mancini</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Starring Lee Remick, Glenn Ford, Stefanie Powers</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Review note - Very strange, I found this in my draft folder and realized I never published it so made a couple for quick revisions and here you go.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b>Studio synopsis</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Experiment in Terror (1962) is director/producer Blake Edwards’s chilling excursion into atmospheric neo-noir, focusing on a San Francisco working girl (Lee Remick) stalked by a wheezing psychopath intent on forcing her to rob the bank where she works…or else. Fearing for the safety of her younger sister (Stefanie Powers) even more than for her own, our heroine pluckily makes secret contact with an FBI agent (Glenn Ford), hoping to foil the psycho before he can carry out his sinister threats. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b>About the film</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Experiment in Terror is slick thriller brought to the screen with the best that Hollywood could offer. Featuring a strong and intelligent female lead, especially for its time, it has aged very well. The villain is a creepy psychopath who wouldn't be out of place in a David Lynch film (check out the Main Title sequence linked below for another Lynch reference) - and who might have inspired Dirty Harry's Scorpio Killer. I don't feel I should discuss too much more of the film's plot as it unfolds very deliberately and remains extremely suspenseful.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>About the disc</b></div>
<div>
Sony has provided the independent label Twilight Time with an impressive 1080p high definition transfer <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. </span>The contrast and sharpness in the HD rendering of this black & white film are exemplary. Coupled with artifact-free authoring/mastering and you get a near reference quality image - this is one of the best high definition black & white film transfers I've viewed. The film's audio track is a new DTS-HD Master 5.1 remix (all original release prints were in mono) that uses the original stereo music recordings and mono dialogue/effects tracks. The stereo separation and surround usage is minor; the music, not surprisingly, is the chief beneficiary of the remix, particularly the creepy organ chord that plays as an undercurrent for the villain. Henry Mancini's menacing score, one of his best dramatic works, sounds terrific. It would have been ideal if Twilight Time had also included the original mono track (especially in lossless format), but Sony might not have offered that to them for this disc.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Extras include an isolated music track (in DTS-HD Master 2.0 stereo) and a quartet of trailers and TV spots that, surprisingly, do not spoil the plot. Julie Kirgo supplies a thoughtful essay about the film in the eight page insert, though it does contains major spoilers so don't read before watching the film.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This disc gets my highest recommendation - it's a limited edition of 3000 copies, and as of this date, is still available at Screen Archives (link above).<br />
<br />
Disc Source: Reviewer collection.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Opening Titles:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/1Ry5ZWlUb8s" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-86452569624336634012016-03-19T18:25:00.000-04:002016-03-19T18:25:03.002-04:00Home Projection Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDtTWm66-Bh1qR0HDJR01kABlAQDEYkYybcmJEV_N0fl-MqMEW0rO69FlxXL8W5rmkYqBTozp8NqrEbDPKjN5oMEYEbUWlhDRJsUH2edEsFCXimk8yO0jCP8g-O44zf41VsalMPenEw/s1600/vivitek.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDtTWm66-Bh1qR0HDJR01kABlAQDEYkYybcmJEV_N0fl-MqMEW0rO69FlxXL8W5rmkYqBTozp8NqrEbDPKjN5oMEYEbUWlhDRJsUH2edEsFCXimk8yO0jCP8g-O44zf41VsalMPenEw/s320/vivitek.JPG" width="295" /></a></div>
New video projector installed, so I finally have working 3-D in the house.<br />
<br />
And by "new projector", I mean I found a great deal on a second hand <b>Vivitek H1186 DLP</b> with low hours and 30 months of warranty left.<br />
<br />
Told you I was cheap.<br />
<br />
Full report on the projector to follow, but first up will be a review of the 3-D science fiction favorite from 1953: <b>GOG</b>, released on 3-D Blu-ray by Kino Lorber Studio Classics from an astounding film and digital restoration by my friends at the <b><a href="http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/gog" target="_blank">3-D Film Archive</a></b>.<br />
<br />
<br />bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-72229380110554869042016-03-19T17:55:00.001-04:002016-03-19T17:57:20.676-04:00Bye-Bye, Warner Archive InstantNo, the Warner Archive Instant Streaming service isn't going away (as far as I know), but I have cancelled my subscription after being with it since 2013.<br />
<br />
As detailed in <a href="http://www.bigscreenclassics.com/2015/05/video-streaming-review-warner-archive.html" target="_blank">my post from last May</a>, it's a streaming service for classic movie lovers and I highly recommended it then. Unfortunately, since that time, the service has added almost no new content (new titles have appeared, but most of them have already been on the service). What new content that has arrived has consisted of a lot of standard definition transfers of fair-to-middling TV movies from the 1970s and little remembered B-features.<br />
<br />
It's a disappointing turn of events for this service, which seemed like a model the other studios could emulate.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-50351913613750653162015-09-04T13:10:00.000-04:002015-09-04T13:10:32.012-04:00Things are looking upSome recent Blu-ray arrivals. Watch for reviews to come.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCH5tIeh_ULgczjDoywdW8t8Gj7d_GcZ1OHMS_4wBPDBqtAuth7ebB4laPXl7qjfbuDSXfAJxAL-gsWHoP7pZ_Mp5eV9Bra1RqIGwgeA91gS1gYyi6HYDQ-_Eq29AnRlszYSMKCOcxCg/s640/blogger-image-1779458222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCH5tIeh_ULgczjDoywdW8t8Gj7d_GcZ1OHMS_4wBPDBqtAuth7ebB4laPXl7qjfbuDSXfAJxAL-gsWHoP7pZ_Mp5eV9Bra1RqIGwgeA91gS1gYyi6HYDQ-_Eq29AnRlszYSMKCOcxCg/s640/blogger-image-1779458222.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Can't wait to see <b>The Exorcist III</b> again - still love this line of dialogue:<br />
<br />
"If you looked with the eyes of faith you'd see me."<br />
<br />
Chilling and pretty representative of William Peter Blatty's outlook.<br />
<br />
Speaking of which, I think it's time for another spin of <b>The Ninth Configuration</b> - his wonderful bizarre sloppy masterpiece.</div>
bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-92085192717080474452015-09-02T15:27:00.000-04:002015-09-02T15:28:10.010-04:00RIP - Wes Craven[Editorial aside: I'm getting really tired and sad writing RIP posts - it's time to step up the reviews and commentary. Watch for my own take on the "31 Days of Horror" theme.]<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">R.I.P. Director Wes Craven</span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media2.fdncms.com/tampa/imager/u/original/5254479/craven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media2.fdncms.com/tampa/imager/u/original/5254479/craven.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Nice brief career profile at <a href="http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/news/a37518/wes-craven-obit/" target="_blank">ESQUIRE</a>.<br />
<br />
While I wasn't the biggest of his fans, he did create two undeniable horror movie icons: <b>Nightmare on Elm Street</b>'s Freddy Kruger and the<b> Scream</b> comic-horror franchise. He was also a great interview subject; here's a perfect example from Filmmaker Magazine: <a href="http://filmmakermagazine.com/88153-i-dont-feel-like-i-gave-birth-to-jesus-wes-craven-on-a-nightmare-on-elm-street/#.VedMsflVhBc" target="_blank">LINK</a><br />
<br />
I think one of his best is the under-appreciated <b>THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW</b>:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EPWTvbTWhZc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EPWTvbTWhZc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-87066202969013601962015-09-02T15:13:00.000-04:002015-09-02T15:13:53.798-04:00Faces on Film<b>Part One</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCHe5pLjgLd5JgIbpd5fI7jDZ5kmZVnDCTuaMIQQxCheVMMWDue1Nl88qTDEcnsyHmxO436JVKdCBWQ7vf8jLthNr7W4bkYQWbQiSsKpmw8_TFrsz2xmK32SsibNCSorVp2y1R8ySvg/s1600/talos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCHe5pLjgLd5JgIbpd5fI7jDZ5kmZVnDCTuaMIQQxCheVMMWDue1Nl88qTDEcnsyHmxO436JVKdCBWQ7vf8jLthNr7W4bkYQWbQiSsKpmw8_TFrsz2xmK32SsibNCSorVp2y1R8ySvg/s400/talos.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7aASST96NVO_In0CpWkA0bWyQBHxpdv08e1-7Gg4CMOjlsPrHnArsFUkdt6snWmQCQxEI4vyshpJj_DgNLgHbib2rUiSr6F-8hsKvzKrqxe3ZBAYhSOE6ltf8SCakZJgJGp9-uokj0Q/s1600/rasputin-the-mad-monk38.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7aASST96NVO_In0CpWkA0bWyQBHxpdv08e1-7Gg4CMOjlsPrHnArsFUkdt6snWmQCQxEI4vyshpJj_DgNLgHbib2rUiSr6F-8hsKvzKrqxe3ZBAYhSOE6ltf8SCakZJgJGp9-uokj0Q/s400/rasputin-the-mad-monk38.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_aEmfDNaMPUn65E4lBeCvRZZ6d9HV3FCyRkzVwXyhEQgKOw2GhOxYu_QW2XdgvbslWvOs4gQvkayQbYgbrcjjnov0j31vmY_Uul5tAL3c2IWyaddvg7fvhqvb1jmSz6g2PSJEO5aO2w/s1600/Full_Metal_Jacket_Vincent_Donofrio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_aEmfDNaMPUn65E4lBeCvRZZ6d9HV3FCyRkzVwXyhEQgKOw2GhOxYu_QW2XdgvbslWvOs4gQvkayQbYgbrcjjnov0j31vmY_Uul5tAL3c2IWyaddvg7fvhqvb1jmSz6g2PSJEO5aO2w/s400/Full_Metal_Jacket_Vincent_Donofrio.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAGKB3qkf_nFgtNzOt262VlfjccrhPrnhg-qM_21aFkj0uXrwJfNbTXwdZK-U9Du5X470FGSslBZ15Mu5bMwkyP0I2KxFI1alGeL69mWvmrnvWO1iNLI43_vNVwrRMyuqHKNuWpqC-g/s1600/DraculaLugosi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAGKB3qkf_nFgtNzOt262VlfjccrhPrnhg-qM_21aFkj0uXrwJfNbTXwdZK-U9Du5X470FGSslBZ15Mu5bMwkyP0I2KxFI1alGeL69mWvmrnvWO1iNLI43_vNVwrRMyuqHKNuWpqC-g/s400/DraculaLugosi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-20271643221233527932015-06-25T22:10:00.001-04:002015-06-25T22:10:33.646-04:00RIP Patrick Macnee 1922 - 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqy1ZFxV5nDFiD6uWb5w2DYmxTHHBrPbbUN5ZLw-qcCTsxpFrcBV9LMh0sTWaYB-IHd8WP4xuiPqiKEOorYDKf-5xOqAq011JmqbqSY2gp3Ni6GOI5zGAd8ubLVPpsBYF6VoS9E4z4xg/s1600/acteur_patrick-macnee_8_1141998504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqy1ZFxV5nDFiD6uWb5w2DYmxTHHBrPbbUN5ZLw-qcCTsxpFrcBV9LMh0sTWaYB-IHd8WP4xuiPqiKEOorYDKf-5xOqAq011JmqbqSY2gp3Ni6GOI5zGAd8ubLVPpsBYF6VoS9E4z4xg/s320/acteur_patrick-macnee_8_1141998504.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Another day, another warm and familiar face lost to time</span>: <b>Patrick Macnee</b>, John Steed in "The Avengers" television series, passed away today at the age of 93 .<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
From <a href="http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/patrick-macnee-dead-1201528377" target="_blank">Variety</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Patrick Macnee, famous for his role on "The Avengers" British TV series, died Thursday of natural causes at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif. He was 93. Macnee, who played John Steed in the spy-fi show, died with his family at his bedside. "Wherever he went, he left behind a trove of memories," a statement on the actor’s website read. "Patrick Macnee was a popular figure in the television industry. He was at home wherever in the world he found himself. He had a knack for making friends, and keeping them."</blockquote>
<br />
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtnFaOp_XosyBf986-56hd1eup8ZIQZN4APLM4l5vYHZNoLaqa1NxnuDGAOmhI5d_12OkNsi7cgFMH3lwIjHKT7lkUAXEr8NEg9h0B6-4LH9FzblIjIv_U-L3lbglnNUnTSdMQpSpm7A/s1600/avtak+macnee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtnFaOp_XosyBf986-56hd1eup8ZIQZN4APLM4l5vYHZNoLaqa1NxnuDGAOmhI5d_12OkNsi7cgFMH3lwIjHKT7lkUAXEr8NEg9h0B6-4LH9FzblIjIv_U-L3lbglnNUnTSdMQpSpm7A/s400/avtak+macnee.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">"A successful cover almost becomes second nature."</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I'll always treasure his performance as Sir Godfrey Tibbett in the Roger Moore James Bond outing <b>A View to a Kill</b>. His easy chemistry with Moore made their scenes a highlight of the film as Moore and Macnee went undercover as an upper-crust British horse racing enthusiast and his loyal servant. This was his third time paired with Moore as Macnee played Dr. Watson to Moore's Sherlock Holmes in the television movie "Sherlock Holmes in New York" in 1976 and they appeared as part of the allstar cast in <b>The Sea Wolves</b> in 1981. Macnee also played Watson to Sir Christopher Lee's Sherlock Holmes in two 1980s tele-movies.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When I was a kid, Patrick Macnee was one of the faces and voices of modern Great Britain (just as, to me, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee were the image of Britain's Victorian past) due to starring in "The Avengers," an import that landed on ABC's prime time schedule and which I saw in reruns throughout the 70s. He was all over American TV in the 70s and 80s, appearing in everything from "Columbo" to "The Virginian" to "Frasier," plus showed a flair for comedy in the feature films <b>This is Spinal Tap</b> and <b>The Howling</b>.<br />
<br />
Rest in peace.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
---</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<h3>
<b>RIP James Horner, composer, 1953 - 2015</b></h3>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the tragic death earlier this week of Academy Award winning film composer <b>James Horner</b> from a private plane crash. Horner scored an enormous number of huge Hollywood hits including <b>Titanic</b>, <b>Braveheart</b>, <b>Star Trek II</b>, <b>Avatar</b>, <b>Field of Dreams</b>, <b>48 Hours</b>, and many more. Here's a sampling of some of his most noted works:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xYybLw6oOBY/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xYybLw6oOBY?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-22311110737372016772015-06-24T22:42:00.001-04:002015-06-26T13:53:58.602-04:00Ray Harryhausen's Best Scene?Just caught <b>One Million Years B.C.</b> on TCM. It looked like a very nice new high definition transfer of the longer UK cut so I hope that bodes well for a forthcoming Blu-ray release. In thinking about it, the attack on the camp by the baby Allosaurus may be my favorite scene in all of Ray Harryhausen's work:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/W2bgeq6hAlU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="532" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W2bgeq6hAlU?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Ray often said that the skeleton fights in <b>The 7th Voyage of Sinbad</b> and <b>Jason and the Argonauts </b>were his favorites.<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tGCuLWdZTDs/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="532" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tGCuLWdZTDs?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RCoBg-aPJ5E/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="532" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RCoBg-aPJ5E?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
How about you?<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>EDIT -</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>For HorrorGirl:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcPQKq4hXSBTdxKjIWCyK63AUDmIdyHZTtEys63_Lqdl8IV3PvRPovXU6tKFCGkmwYxT_zQ9pL7k9G17ZswzC7EGeL3JjTnFn5s76kmwXMujpjGHZiBTr_pWRKmjboY-cQs2Itx-ZHA/s1600/talos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcPQKq4hXSBTdxKjIWCyK63AUDmIdyHZTtEys63_Lqdl8IV3PvRPovXU6tKFCGkmwYxT_zQ9pL7k9G17ZswzC7EGeL3JjTnFn5s76kmwXMujpjGHZiBTr_pWRKmjboY-cQs2Itx-ZHA/s400/talos.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b></div>
bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-84076850948175904802015-06-17T17:01:00.004-04:002015-06-18T09:09:13.810-04:00Father's Day Movie Treats in New York on 6/21Are you a Dad? Do you know a Dad? Then check out these, uh, interesting selections playing at two noted venues in New York this coming <b>Sunday - Father's Day - June 21</b>:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV5Wo02KsTpCuqMe1pSN_-qLC2asDcdT-YD1dGYSf5RJ1gbjwPO7Fkx6nPq7jCOz-TJnqLskaGBRHH7p4bxgj2AzJmgRQOwJHmBCI4VSw7vmjBiZYtBOaGcK7ENLW6uXuqmRlgYmtyRQ/s1600/pacino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV5Wo02KsTpCuqMe1pSN_-qLC2asDcdT-YD1dGYSf5RJ1gbjwPO7Fkx6nPq7jCOz-TJnqLskaGBRHH7p4bxgj2AzJmgRQOwJHmBCI4VSw7vmjBiZYtBOaGcK7ENLW6uXuqmRlgYmtyRQ/s200/pacino.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.filmlinc.com/films/series/bad-dads" target="_blank">The Film Society of Lincoln Center</a> </b>is hosting an all day marathon called <b>"Bad Dads"</b> starting at 2:00 pm. Showing are <b>Honey I Shrunk the Kids</b>, <b>The Royal Tenenbaums</b>, <b>The Stepfather</b> (the 1987 original version), and <b>The Devil's Advocate</b>, which features Al Pacino's most subtle and controlled performance of his entire career.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
-----</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJrJc_3Tgrlpc5-tiVcKGG1p3LJ6SA0pVaWWG7NznSwNcIlHA-IqlvdAdAHYh3zCOdR6FkqWQG2yIfqiLEx3YlE3lT9Hfbg2mZ-hV1S7bKfD_tkKhnPaFIw-126dDmvkagiFOhzF2kg/s1600/shining2-detail-main.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJrJc_3Tgrlpc5-tiVcKGG1p3LJ6SA0pVaWWG7NznSwNcIlHA-IqlvdAdAHYh3zCOdR6FkqWQG2yIfqiLEx3YlE3lT9Hfbg2mZ-hV1S7bKfD_tkKhnPaFIw-126dDmvkagiFOhzF2kg/s200/shining2-detail-main.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
If those don't grab you, the <a href="http://www.movingimage.us/films/2015/06/21/detail/horror-fathers-day/" target="_blank"><b>American Museum of the Moving Image in Queens</b></a> is hosting three showings on Sunday, called <b>"Horror Father's Day,"</b> starting at 2:00 pm with Charles Laughton's <b>Night of the Hunter</b>, moving on to <b>Georges Franju's</b> <b>Eyes without a Face</b>, and finally closing with <b>Stanley Kubrick's The Shining</b>.<br />
<br />
A perfect family film Sunday in New York. For the Manson family.bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-60730047040381679502015-06-14T12:39:00.001-04:002015-06-14T16:52:33.833-04:00Show Report: 3-D Rarities and Hondo at the Museum of Modern Art's "3-D Summer"<div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfTSBcWLRmREx3yg1LwZXRnTRUgeqzKh34Y2wymjk6XnikFI0t8j_46QdyhU8Nrnmtr9d8LGCOKnmo4I97O1aeA3Gg7RLvmNbwQtnj56nHvUu-9Umj2Ao5d4PUzlpH2n6myiyMePDzA/s1600/image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="1" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfTSBcWLRmREx3yg1LwZXRnTRUgeqzKh34Y2wymjk6XnikFI0t8j_46QdyhU8Nrnmtr9d8LGCOKnmo4I97O1aeA3Gg7RLvmNbwQtnj56nHvUu-9Umj2Ao5d4PUzlpH2n6myiyMePDzA/s320/image.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
June 10, 1915 saw the first public exhibition of stereoscopic motion pictures, it took place at the Astor Theatre in New York City. 100 years later, on June 13, 2015, New York City's Museum of Modern Art opened a three-week long film exhibition called "3-D Summer". As the saying goes, you've come a long way, baby.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
--</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The show: <b><a href="http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/films/1587" target="_blank">3-D Summer at the Museum of Modern Art: a celebration of the Centennial of 3-D Motion Pictures</a></b>. This series was organized by<b> Dave Kehr</b>, Adjunct Curator, Department of Film at the Museum of Modern Art. Screenings held at MoMA's Roy & Niuta Titus Theatre 2 featuring Christie Digital Projection and the Dolby 3-D system.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Arriving around 3:30 at the Museum for the 4:30 show of 3-D Rarities, there was already a decent-size crowd gathering. From running classic films for over 10 years at the Lafayette Theatre I built up a pretty good sense of how an audience is going to shape up and was not at all surprised by the anticipation these folks were feeling. I did recognize some people there who had been regulars at my shows so I knew the event was drawing people from far and wide. I met up with the <a href="http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/" target="_blank">3-D Film Archives</a>' head honcho <b>Bob Furmanek</b>, the Archives' Technical Director <b>Greg Kintz</b>, <b>John McElwee</b> of <a href="http://greenbriarpictureshows.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Greenbriar Picture Shows</a> (Executive Producer of 3-D Rarities), and the Archives' Associate Producer <b>Jack Theakston</b>. Bob also introduced me to to the <b>Museum's Adjunct Film Curator, Dave Kehr</b>, who I was delighted to finally meet after reading his New York Times columns for so many years. The upper lobby quickly filled and we headed downstairs to MoMA's Theatre #2, which has a capacity of just over 200 people. While I was further chatting with Bob, Dave came by and told us that the last ticket had been sold and this was now officially a sell-out. Not a bad start at all. Unlike many museum shows, which contain a lot of museum patrons and gallery visitors, this audience was composed primarily of film and 3-D fans.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsbozpQvfRcqxQDKCJWQnxx0rpt1o1TeloBDeFsUZBXdteEGL3P2QQ4d_tE7UHPnAQgmS_mVvFCed85OiKoCTzaUkzBILriq5TgEy4ClTVSiCDxvOREsQAGSLrktLtUDG9x7ik604WXw/s1600/image+%25282%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsbozpQvfRcqxQDKCJWQnxx0rpt1o1TeloBDeFsUZBXdteEGL3P2QQ4d_tE7UHPnAQgmS_mVvFCed85OiKoCTzaUkzBILriq5TgEy4ClTVSiCDxvOREsQAGSLrktLtUDG9x7ik604WXw/s320/image+%25282%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(L to R) Greg Kintz, Bob Furmanek, Dave Kehr, <br />
John McElwee, Jack Theakston</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
First up was the East Coast premiere of <b>3-D Rarities</b>, which contains 94 minutes of rarely seen short films saved and preserved by the <b><a href="http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/" target="_blank">3-D Film Archive</a></b>. Courtesy of Bob, I had seats in a prime location - about eight rows up and just off the center of the screen. The sight lines in this theatre are good, it's got a fairly steep rake so the viewing angles are ideal. By the time the show was to begin the theatre was filled to capacity and Dave brought Bob up to the microphone to give an introduction to the program. This introduction was an essential part of the show as it put the origin and purpose of many of these shorts in the proper context. Seeing them cold with no foreknowledge wouldn't be half as much fun.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXbiKJYMC3IaDRWdyRmnkd2tC2lG0591DZFf6-P3yX0DrFi1A2na7cCxui0Cf9FV-N_x-KRL68PqafUbCHKNJuXoSJXCILEqqDX87YVrOGiM6IwUEksmy-TetY5WBHkdB6SS0FvHzDQ/s1600/Gun.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXbiKJYMC3IaDRWdyRmnkd2tC2lG0591DZFf6-P3yX0DrFi1A2na7cCxui0Cf9FV-N_x-KRL68PqafUbCHKNJuXoSJXCILEqqDX87YVrOGiM6IwUEksmy-TetY5WBHkdB6SS0FvHzDQ/s200/Gun.gif" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early 3-D test footage<br />
(courtesy 3-D Film Archive)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Starting with the earliest surviving stereoscopic film from 1922 and continuing through 1953's "Boo Moon", the sequencing is a delight. Presented in chronological order, the shorts painted a unique image of how filmmakers viewed the possibilities of stereoscopic cinema. There was a terrific reception to the early test scenes - many of which featured scores of huge off-screen effects - as well as a wild ride on Riverside Drive and a visit to Coney Island's Thunderbolt roller coaster. Always a audience favorite, "New Dimensions" (aka "Motor Rhythm") got a very strong round of applause as did "M.L. Gunzburg Presents Natural Vision 3-Dimension" - which features not only the human presence of Lloyd Nolan (cutaways of him listening intently to an ophthalmologist explain how eyesight works are a treasure) and Miss USA Shirley Tegge (with her own brand of 3-Dimension), but the antics of the original Beany & Cecil puppets as well.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWoY9wbWI7nEqANcbOOJrYHQzKX0hqQTp7FtrDcOIrTo9DyvpOalKtiUPRNJ7HR-Sv3dQH2CfoP5ySm4NbQzGwyNRcf0tq1I7_2n33vgE5FX3T8T7soCyB-k8yaQZOPPMICGhYAML8AA/s1600/ML01_L.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWoY9wbWI7nEqANcbOOJrYHQzKX0hqQTp7FtrDcOIrTo9DyvpOalKtiUPRNJ7HR-Sv3dQH2CfoP5ySm4NbQzGwyNRcf0tq1I7_2n33vgE5FX3T8T7soCyB-k8yaQZOPPMICGhYAML8AA/s320/ML01_L.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lloyd Nolan and Shirley Tegge<br />
(courtesy 3-D Film Archive)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
From there, we moved into several trailers and another audience favorite, "Stardust in Your Eyes," which features music and comedy performer Slick Slavin doing impersonations of Hollywood greats in 3-D. This is another short that always gets a great audience reaction and delighted the museum crowd. Next up was the sobering "Doom Town", a rarely-seen and rather downbeat piece about a reporter's visit to an atomic bomb test outside of Las Vegas.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Fortunately, we moved into more entertaining avenues with the</div>
<div>
Puppetoon-style "The Adventures of Sam Space", the racy-for-its-time "I'll Sell My Shirt" vaudeville short and concluded with "Boo Moon," a stunning cartoon featuring Casper the Friendly Ghost. When it began I could hear several audience members singling along with the theme song. There's something to be said about shared memory there.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
All in all, the 3-D Rarities show was a huge success.Urge your local classic cinema to contact Flicker Alley and arrange to show it as these shorts are best seen BIG. If that's not possible, the next best thing is the Blu-ray release as it contains all of the above plus nearly 60 additional minutes of material, including animations from the National Film Board of Canada plus much more. Order from Amazon and wherever Blu-rays are sold, or direct from Flicker Alley <a href="http://www.flickeralley.com/classic-movies/#!/3-D-Rarities/p/49245170/category=12445053" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
3-D Rarities credits:</div>
<div>
3-D Restoration – Greg Kintz</div>
<div>
Producer – Bob Furmanek</div>
<div>
Associate Producer – Jack Theakston</div>
<div>
Executive Producer – John McElwee, Greenbriar Picture Shows</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
---</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qaS4Ehnkue7jmM4WQtVKehan2XA6HRj3REsVcNE3SaxN2hrDopvg8ohthIv1EXWB5TuKATj6LCxEfkGcS7JHgxPGt4rv-gN6DsMYgcC3GeY3X8qEGOfapU_bxomnO2H_FTCXr8eN8A/s1600/hondoposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qaS4Ehnkue7jmM4WQtVKehan2XA6HRj3REsVcNE3SaxN2hrDopvg8ohthIv1EXWB5TuKATj6LCxEfkGcS7JHgxPGt4rv-gN6DsMYgcC3GeY3X8qEGOfapU_bxomnO2H_FTCXr8eN8A/s320/hondoposter.jpg" width="193" /></a></div>
After a brief break, and a look at some of the Museum's current <a href="http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1586" target="_blank">Scorsese Collects</a> movie poster displays (gorgeous), it was time to head back for<b> John Wayne in Hondo</b>. Contrary to myth, Hondo had one of the widest 3-D releases of any film from the Golden Age, including a smashing three week run at New York's 3600-seat Paramount Theater. But it's rarely been revived in 3-D and last night's MoMA audience got to experience something special as this is the first time in over 60 years that Hondo has played in Manhattan in 3-D. Even though there have been any number of 3-D festivals in the area since the late 1970's, Hondo was not among the titles screened at them. The film's owners, BATJAC Productions (the John Wayne estate) gave Hondo a photo-chemical preservation in 1994 and then a new digital restoration, clean-up and alignment was completed on it in 2013. For a fully detailed look at its history, I highly recommend this article over at the 3-D Film Archive's website: <a href="http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home/hondo-3-d-release" target="_blank">The 3-D Release of HONDO</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Once again, the theatre's lobby filled quickly and a long line of eager ticket-holders formed with a lot of repeat customers from the Rarities show. Dave Kehr opened the show with some brief introductory notes and then presented BATJAC's <b>Gretchen Wayne</b> (wife of the late Micheal Wayne and now the custodian of the Wayne estate) who further detailed the problems they faced bringing Hondo back to 3-D life.</div>
<div>
<br />
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekRwxl6hN1Fi9AEw-eVpcGsMcenFwfErnyDQhHKLtpMd_z7HXD1_g7SltnSOv_Dshn8iIlYF4yr11UWpctSrrhdup0telS5l1SSPwmQKmcag4yBMZnpoC0QIqm9BvuB9iUXxWsLoVhw/s1600/hondo-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekRwxl6hN1Fi9AEw-eVpcGsMcenFwfErnyDQhHKLtpMd_z7HXD1_g7SltnSOv_Dshn8iIlYF4yr11UWpctSrrhdup0telS5l1SSPwmQKmcag4yBMZnpoC0QIqm9BvuB9iUXxWsLoVhw/s320/hondo-10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The film itself is terrific, a very solid western with a particularly strong performance by Wayne. His scenes in the first third with Geraldine Page are a delight and shows just how good an actor he could be with the right material. The later action scenes are expertly done and the story gathers to a very satisfying conclusion. Technically, the film is superb - one of the most natural-looking of all the 3-D films from that time with an exceptional use of screen space and depth and a minimum of off-screen gimmick shots (arrows, knives, etc.). There are a number of shots in the film that are not in 3-D due to camera malfunctions while shooting on location, but the digital work they've performed keeps it from becoming a distraction.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Again, as with 3-D Rarities, the audience greeted the conclusion of the film with a sustained round of applause. Sadly, there are no plans for Hondo to get a Blu-ray 3-D release, your only chance to see it the way its makers intended will be at one of the upcoming MoMA screenings - the schedule is <a href="http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/films/1587" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-75020022548981224072015-06-11T09:19:00.000-04:002015-06-11T13:44:06.363-04:00RIP Sir Christopher Lee (1922 - 2015)More information at the <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11666316/christopher-lee-dies-live.html" target="_blank">Telegraph</a><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCeCgGmy68FQroRs4yVabgGzH-mTX02FHeGNi-UOYkUMtPkCPSyRwJe3MH4QQliI9Rgq_QqFY0rcVuryWX9STSG-U46BIQCz8fcXjjfVey-U8Q5SCcsYaD235fzQ4v-dGABjm35pr8A/s640/blogger-image-450045234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCeCgGmy68FQroRs4yVabgGzH-mTX02FHeGNi-UOYkUMtPkCPSyRwJe3MH4QQliI9Rgq_QqFY0rcVuryWX9STSG-U46BIQCz8fcXjjfVey-U8Q5SCcsYaD235fzQ4v-dGABjm35pr8A/s640/blogger-image-450045234.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
A sad day to learn that one of my favorite actors has passed away, but heartening to know he led a full and long life. Sir Christopher Lee, along with his fellow Hammer colleague Peter Cushing, OBE, was one of the reasons I became a film fan and collector back in the 1970s. It was great to see him have a huge late career renaissance with appearances in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and two of the Star Wars prequels. I will miss him.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CAYbiY66wsRKcc2EfYE7-GPw0NVQ_Rml9YnOyiThvTKI_zIi7a-Ot3cY3RECk5pO4tPyzBf_igX_XCZaiwptsrISX2p0WAwFCegKpI1vQ8zbQWFFP3Na1wNyeaUZwUmF4u_oMMMyDw/s640/blogger-image--851541145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CAYbiY66wsRKcc2EfYE7-GPw0NVQ_Rml9YnOyiThvTKI_zIi7a-Ot3cY3RECk5pO4tPyzBf_igX_XCZaiwptsrISX2p0WAwFCegKpI1vQ8zbQWFFP3Na1wNyeaUZwUmF4u_oMMMyDw/s1600/blogger-image--851541145.jpg" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-88743847805179841032015-06-09T20:44:00.004-04:002015-06-10T19:36:23.827-04:00Classic 3-D Movie Events This Week in New York & CaliforniaHere's a quick update with some information about two amazing classic film events going on this weekend featuring <b>3-D films from the Golden Age</b> and beyond. Be sure to click the links for the websites to get a complete listing. I know the shows at New York's Museum of Modern Art are a selling quickly, so get a ticket while you can.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zPsqAe-SjKEEw_yyg8l1KldplU3pFK1cGnIT_akUw_zPxqhD2_8aQMWyhanIzQ8KB4aa5CzroVtPn-MgURwcX2KvVdzddYVHH5pdGzsvae-qH5v_bqtGANUcECpzz_CH9yyX8ZS4iA/s1600/hondoposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hondo" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zPsqAe-SjKEEw_yyg8l1KldplU3pFK1cGnIT_akUw_zPxqhD2_8aQMWyhanIzQ8KB4aa5CzroVtPn-MgURwcX2KvVdzddYVHH5pdGzsvae-qH5v_bqtGANUcECpzz_CH9yyX8ZS4iA/s200/hondoposter.jpg" title="" width="121" /></a><b><a href="http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/films/1587" target="_blank">Museum of Modern Art, New York City</a></b><br />
<br />
Saturday brings us the start of Dave Kehr's curated series <b><a href="http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/films/1587" target="_blank">"3-D Summer"</a></b> (running through July 4), which celebrates the 100th Anniversary of 3-D motion pictures with three superb film treasures that must been seen on the big screen. I'll be covering Saturday's East Coast Premiere of Flicker Alley & the 3-D Film Archive's <b>3-D Rarities</b> and John Wayne in <b>Hondo</b> (its first 3-D showing in New York since 1954); Bob Furmanek of the <a href="http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/" target="_blank">3-D Film Archive</a> will be introducing the Rarities show and Gretchen Wayne will present Hondo. Watch this space next week for the post. Sunday the 14th features a newly-restored presentation of the musical favorite <b>Kiss Me Kate</b>. There are a number of showtimes for these three films during the festival and I urge you to try and catch one or all.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jHUmeOm9vp9Rglbg3U87GUwGgCwfoSstobrjL1DxhnKSYUG_f8vmkRHmj7wnEwCdo2OR0eI8rNQpA8BLjUiGJGIdd47jux3tBpGV2HMjJ9BDPbyhEzqQ4L_DvrkRN3C_ZD8sqr0yFw/s1600/rarities.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="3-D Rarities" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jHUmeOm9vp9Rglbg3U87GUwGgCwfoSstobrjL1DxhnKSYUG_f8vmkRHmj7wnEwCdo2OR0eI8rNQpA8BLjUiGJGIdd47jux3tBpGV2HMjJ9BDPbyhEzqQ4L_DvrkRN3C_ZD8sqr0yFw/s200/rarities.gif" title="" width="130" /></a><a href="http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/content/the-golden-age-of-3-d" target="_blank"><b>American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre, Santa Monica, California</b></a><br />
Don't feel left out, California. You've got an entire weekend of dimensional entertainment to yourselves as the American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre presents <a href="http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/content/the-golden-age-of-3-d" target="_blank"><b>"The Golden Age of 3-D"</b></a> in a whirlwind four day event that begins on Thursday, June 11 with the West Coast premiere of <b>3-D Rarities</b> (with an in-person appearance by Slick Slavin!) paired on a double bill with <b>Arch Oboler's The Bubble</b> (restored by the 3-D Film Archive). Also on tap Friday through Sunday are double bills with such classics as <b>House of Wax, The Mad Magician, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder, Kiss Me Kate, Miss Sadie Thompson</b>, and <b>Inferno</b>. If I was in California, I know where I'd be this weekend.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
It's time to put on your 3-D Magic Glasses and see a show,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Beany & Cecil would approve.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnkfOgbImynS8KBwmRNNuLbsubnMUgixz5LeoRdUQffEus0_qVPrO_aazG8NdFF3Bcl9kBQhnjCg_UrwGBrrkHxYvY7833tC7d-hpOiF00LIyf4BvVYpsqaWMlyqLqfrZRzhzpdfK_Q/s1600/Beany_web.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnkfOgbImynS8KBwmRNNuLbsubnMUgixz5LeoRdUQffEus0_qVPrO_aazG8NdFF3Bcl9kBQhnjCg_UrwGBrrkHxYvY7833tC7d-hpOiF00LIyf4BvVYpsqaWMlyqLqfrZRzhzpdfK_Q/s400/Beany_web.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you can't see one of the <b>3-D Rarities</b> shows in person, order the Blu-ray from Flicker Alley <a href="http://www.flickeralley.com/classic-movies/#!/3-D-Rarities/p/49245170/category=12445053" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a>. It appears that <b>Hondo</b> will remain unavailable on a 3-D Blu-ray.</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-82981549101021240572015-06-08T09:55:00.000-04:002015-06-08T15:51:31.269-04:00Escape from the Bird Man of Alcatraz<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAF57WWXoJDvbIP3ozQrEpoWjwxs1NSmLDtdQLYMDqQwDRfaGFKsTh3zATZJVJnC0cK_0uWyOirv4POnnRdgDAyPUm-fyh8DJVkzKZYn8d3EUnfYcRgB7SyvKyU8gIQVIw4m55iqKMw/s1600/escape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAF57WWXoJDvbIP3ozQrEpoWjwxs1NSmLDtdQLYMDqQwDRfaGFKsTh3zATZJVJnC0cK_0uWyOirv4POnnRdgDAyPUm-fyh8DJVkzKZYn8d3EUnfYcRgB7SyvKyU8gIQVIw4m55iqKMw/s320/escape.jpg" width="209" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICN3ni667by3gHeNhvMdTrVu6LSXUTdKZ1_0LLUm5eTCrWAYUAsTyNkKe8DJl5vm3lPYlBHP3zYTC21GoXGU_rmfgiU9Sf1-Sm0KhkBD-pe4z1bvpreGbz63muiXuERywWnei8pI19w/s1600/birdman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICN3ni667by3gHeNhvMdTrVu6LSXUTdKZ1_0LLUm5eTCrWAYUAsTyNkKe8DJl5vm3lPYlBHP3zYTC21GoXGU_rmfgiU9Sf1-Sm0KhkBD-pe4z1bvpreGbz63muiXuERywWnei8pI19w/s320/birdman.jpg" width="208" /></a>Yes, I know. It's a cornball wordplay headline.<br />
<br />
I watched these two movies over the past week and they present an interesting look at heroes and anti-heroes. You can tell even just by looking at the trailers (see below). Both are really well done films with terrific performances, both present prison as a place you should never want to go, both play a little loose with the facts. And both are products of their time: <b>Bird Man</b> from 1962 and <b>Escape</b> from 1979.<br />
<br />
What you don't want to do is read about the real Robert Stroud, the Bird Man of Alcatraz. The movie makes him a kindly, troubled soul. The real story, as it often is, is far different. This was one bad dude in real life. Escape's Frank Morris isn't presented with complete accuracy either, but the film makers don't gloss over his life of crime. For more on the real Stroud, go <a href="http://www.alcatrazhistory.com/stroud.htm" target="_blank">HERE</a>. For more on the real Frank Morris' escape, go <a href="http://www.alcatrazhistory.com/alcesc1.htm" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6kSmxzvKKgA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="532" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6kSmxzvKKgA?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/j8c7vTZYVEw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="532" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j8c7vTZYVEw?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe></div>
<br />bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-37724210229177194072015-06-02T08:20:00.000-04:002015-06-02T09:46:41.150-04:00Quick Reviews: The Andromeda Strain, The Frozen Dead, Used Cars, It - The Terror from Beyond Space<span style="font-family: inherit;">Four random reviews on tap today of some stuff that's been lighting up my home screen in the last several weeks.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRX4gjcNLDO0AT0n74HGW5mk2arTq4guHi7s55X2n8-1wXGdc1lBCzxOARA9Ocr8Um_m8NZ9lu-1uA6eMAuFlRAs_9wHGpq7MLZkiOLTB6MLTidCrpaAu_g2aWlfU_w2zTY_uqZ6yLNg/s1600/41zCaCsNRbL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRX4gjcNLDO0AT0n74HGW5mk2arTq4guHi7s55X2n8-1wXGdc1lBCzxOARA9Ocr8Um_m8NZ9lu-1uA6eMAuFlRAs_9wHGpq7MLZkiOLTB6MLTidCrpaAu_g2aWlfU_w2zTY_uqZ6yLNg/s320/41zCaCsNRbL.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>"The Andromeda Strain"</b>: Robert Wise's film version of Michael Crichton's best-selling novel remains an engrossing science fiction tale. Told realistically and soberly with a non-star cast, Wise and screenwriter Nelson Gidding create an atmosphere of scientific competence undone by arrogance and human error. Even after multiple viewings the film still generates enormous suspense through to its climax. Universal released this on Blu-ray back in February as a Best Buy exclusive with very little fanfare, it will be available to other retailers beginning in July. The picture transfer is serviceable but might very well be the same older HD master that was created for the special edition DVD from 2003 but with the benefit of Blu-ray's higher resolution and color space. The mono audio is better than the DVD, showcasing Gil Melle's weird electronic score. <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Extras (duplicated from the special edition DVD) include a "Making of", a "Portrait of Michael Crichton" featurette, and the theatrical trailer. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Recommended</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> at the low price point, but not a particularly huge upgrade over the DVD.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyP4RJUVEIB2sOFs49l9pR5WD8s73nFaePFHrL5iD2a-FqPlCtGbyaZTRaNGirWzATOYHXKfbGqVyLU_ZCCco4RfqQPi_PMaMaSimIGTWlbtt6ZqIa7qTTpuobna1dfaNsJQvUkUnnlA/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyP4RJUVEIB2sOFs49l9pR5WD8s73nFaePFHrL5iD2a-FqPlCtGbyaZTRaNGirWzATOYHXKfbGqVyLU_ZCCco4RfqQPi_PMaMaSimIGTWlbtt6ZqIa7qTTpuobna1dfaNsJQvUkUnnlA/s200/photo.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't see the problem</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>"The Frozen Dead"</b>: Dana Andrews stars in Herbert J. Leder's notorious shocker about an ex-Nazi scientist who is charged with bringing key officers of the Third Reich back to life. You see, the Nazis froze them for later revival when it appeared the war was lost. Sounds like a plan to me. Filled with repulsive imagery (at least, as much as they could get away with in 1966) including severed limbs, mutilated faces, a severed talking head, brain-damaged soldiers, lurid color, and a totally straight performance by Andrews, The Frozen Dead is a must see. That is if that sort of thing appeals to you. Beautiful <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">High Definition stream on the Warner Archive Instant channel, also available on DVD. Recommended, but don't say you weren't warned.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"></span></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6wI9VtS1pUvigYM_4sStmNc5W_rrPHQ41G-4DNFLaEbwxeM9Wv2lXxWnpuyooz1UKYwijokFmg-maKhWVprET0AT-4AamEm0NBljEaY_CiE6amij6YW8gx9k8UfdArkhIBD19WrBiHw/s1600/It-the-Terror-from-Beyond-Space.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6wI9VtS1pUvigYM_4sStmNc5W_rrPHQ41G-4DNFLaEbwxeM9Wv2lXxWnpuyooz1UKYwijokFmg-maKhWVprET0AT-4AamEm0NBljEaY_CiE6amij6YW8gx9k8UfdArkhIBD19WrBiHw/s320/It-the-Terror-from-Beyond-Space.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>"It! The Terror from Beyond Space"</b>: Often cited as one of the inspirations (alongside Mario Bava's "Planet of the Vampires" and others) <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">for "Alien", this film from 1958 takes only 69 minutes to tell almost the same story. But it's actually much more than just an inspiration. Within its obvious budgetary limitations it tells a straight-forward horror/science fiction story and layers on the suspense. Sure, the special effects are dated and the monster is effective only when kept in shadows, but director Edward L. Cahn (and who thought he would ever have a film on Blu-ray) and writer Jerome Bixby keep a good grip on the audience. Finally seen in its proper widescreen ratio, "It" looks a lot better now than it did on the old full frame TV prints and videos. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">The lone extra on this is a very poor looking trailer. The Blu-ray from Olive Films is a significant upgrade over the old MGM DVD and is Highly Recommended for fans, others approach with the caution reserved for low-budget and unpretentious science fiction.</span></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkiHJQbARAbm8TC-rbR2d5e3T2k8MeoveZ7zzp8NgcZKaF7-RIhqTDFF0Cf2ON0TVj7qjITHFpCodhPeGrrS6P6FFm7-xtzyWzMXcwWyORcNIxfOESDD-xtka_bdTM4FgzZun_iqTEA/s1600/hltvavmtglbrubjmlloqwvrlptc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkiHJQbARAbm8TC-rbR2d5e3T2k8MeoveZ7zzp8NgcZKaF7-RIhqTDFF0Cf2ON0TVj7qjITHFpCodhPeGrrS6P6FFm7-xtzyWzMXcwWyORcNIxfOESDD-xtka_bdTM4FgzZun_iqTEA/s320/hltvavmtglbrubjmlloqwvrlptc.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Your next State Senator</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>"Used Cars"</b>: Twilight Time has released this Blu-ray of the hilarious 1980 Robert Zemeckis comedy starring Kurt Russell, Jack Warden, Frank McRae, Deborah Harmon, and Gerrit Graham. Made in an era when comedies weren't forced into being politically correct, Used Cars's simplistic plot involves twin brothers, their rival used car lots, a long-estranged daughter, political shenanigans, and a scheme involving massive free - and highly illegal - television advertising. Filled with plenty of quotable moments, a bevy of lewd and crude scenes, plus a romance that is (almost) sweet, Used Cars was a cable TV staple throughout the early 1980s and is fondly remembered to this day. The Blu-ray is a stunner: wonderful 1.85 widescreen picture, solid audio (offered in both the original theatrical mono and a newly remixed 5.1 surround track) and it has a nice selection of extra features: an isolated score track, an unused score track, audio commentary with director Zemeckis, writer Bob Gale, and actor Kurt Russell, bloopers and out-takes, radio spots, trailers, and more. This <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Twilight Time release (available only from Screen Archives) is Highly Recommended for its fans and also lovers of non-PC comedy. You</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> might feel a little guilty later, but you will have laughed at it while watching.</span></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692022470525859411.post-51823581644735277902015-05-29T12:51:00.004-04:002015-05-29T12:52:38.353-04:00NY/NJ Classic Movie Events This Weekend 5/29-5/31Just a fast note with some interesting movie programs going on in the New Jersey & New York areas this weekend.<br />
<br />
The historic <b>Paramount Theatre in Middletown, New York</b>, is hosting the <b>Hoboken International Film Festival</b>, which runs from 5/29 through 6/4. More information <a href="http://middletownparamount.com/events/category/film-festival/" target="_blank">HERE</a><br />
<br />
This historic <b>Rahway Theatre at the Union County Performing Arts Center</b> is hosting a screening of the silent film classic WINGS on Saturday, 5/30 with <b>Bernie Anderson</b> accompanying on the Rahway's <b>Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ</b>. Bernie is a terrific silent film accompanist so this show will be a treat. More information <a href="http://ucpac.org/html/event.cfm?id=353" target="_blank">HERE</a><br />
<br />
The <b>Film Forum in New York City</b> is featuring a new 4K digital restoration of Samuel Fuller's <b>PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET</b> through June 4. More information <a href="http://filmforum.org/film/pickup-on-south-street" target="_blank">HERE</a><br />
<br />
The <b>Ramapo Film Festival</b> at my old haunt, the historic <b>Lafayette Theatre in Suffern, NY</b>, continues this Saturday morning with a showing of Charlie Chaplin's <b>CITY LIGHTS</b>. More information <a href="http://lafayettetheatersuffern.com/1880/Ramapo-Film-Festival-2015" target="_blank">HERE</a><br />
<br />
The <b>Landmark Loews Jersey</b> in Jersey City has another of its theme weekends with Woody Allen's <b>SLEEPER</b> on Friday, 5/29 and <b>STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN</b> on Sunday, May 31. More information <a href="http://www.loewsjersey.org/" target="_blank">HERE</a><br />
<br />
<br />bigscreenclassicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11506453136951100064noreply@blogger.com0